Things to Do in Tokyo When You're Dead
by MasterOfThePen
Summary: Pailong has been thinking about the past lately, and Jun wants to cheer him up, so she decides to take him out for an all-day birthday bash to prove you can still have fun, even if you're dead. Meanwhile, Ren must find a way to feed himself.
1. Remembrance

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Shaman King" yadda, yadda, yadda 

There aren't that many JunxPailong fics out there, and they're my two favorite characters, and my favorite pairing in the series. I'd like to dedicate this fic to Setsumi-san, and all the other authors that support this pairing. Hope I can live up to your expectations! 

**Synopsis:** Pailong has been reminiscing about the past lately, and Jun wants to do something to cheer him up. She decides to take him out on an all-day birthday bash, and the two begin to realize that they care for one another more than they let on. Meanwhile, Ren must fend for himself, since Jun isn't there to cook for him. Sweet romance for Jun and Pailong, and hilarious cooking hijinks for Ren and Bason. 

**Things to Do in Tokyo When You're Dead**

****

******Chapter One: Remembrance******

****Pailong couldn't remember when he started having that terrible nightmare, but it had haunted him for many nights these past few weeks. He was dreaming about that day The day he died. 

It was a late night at the dojo, and he had just finished packing away the tumble mats into the closet when a loud staccato of raps hammered on the door. 

"Just a minute," Pailong called toward the darkened doorway as the rapping grew louder, urgent almost. He straightened and strode toward the door, wondering who it could possibly be, at this time of night. 

The tall martial artist opened the door to find a short wizened man before him, his head barely coming to Pailong's waist. His eyes widened in disbelief. This old man was the one making that terrible racket? 

"Sir, we're closed now. If you'd like to come back tomorrow--" but Pailong was cut short by the old man's sharp voice. 

"Li Pailong, I presume?" The old man fixed him with a piercing stare. It seemed as if he were staring into his very soul, laying bare all his thoughts and emotions. The martial artist took a step back, in spite of himself. The old man was obviously Chinese, like himself, but he was dressed in crimson robes with the symbol of the Yin Yang, an emblem many Taoist spell-casters wore. 

"Yes, that's me," Pailong said, but he couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness welling up inside of him. "What do you want?" 

"My name is Tao Ching," the tiny man smiled, his bald head glistening in the dim light, "and I am in need of your assistance." 

"Are you in some sort of trouble?" Pailong asked. "If so, perhaps you should go to the police--" 

"No," the word echoed sharply against the walls of the empty dojo. "I need you're skills as a martial artist. My granddaughter's birthday is tomorrow, and I wanted to give her a special surprise." 

"Ah, she must be a big fan, and you want me to meet her, is that it?" Pailong scratched his head and laughed, but his laughter could do nothing to mask the feeling of foreboding forming in the pit of his stomach. 

"You could say that," the old man chuckled as he pulled a gun from within the folds of his robes and pointed it straight at Pailong's head. 

"Wait a minute! What are you--" Pailong was frozen with fear. He mind screamed, _What's going on? Who is this crazy old man, and why does he want to kill me?_

"I really don't have anything against you, Pailong," the old man smiled wickedly, the click of the gun being cocked was distinctly audible in the silent dojo. "But I'm doing this for the Tao family." 

"The Taos?" Pailong asked. Who were they? Some sort of Chinese Mafia family? "Sir, please! If it's money you want, I'll pay you anything. I've got a wife and kids back home--" 

"Sorry, Li Pailong, but you have to die The family collection needs your body." 

"Please, don't do this--!" 

Suddenly everything froze as the sound of a single shot reverberated throughout the desolate building. Pailong felt a sharp pain in his forehead, then suddenly everything went cold and silent. As the blood seeped down his face, he felt his body falling slowly backward, as if in slow motion. Images of his life flashed before his eyes in milliseconds. His wife and children. His costars from his movies. His master. His home. His future. Everything. Everything was gone. In that split second, the Taos had robbed him of everything that mattered most to him. 

The old man laughed hideously, joyously even. Pailong wasn't even aware that his body had finally slammed onto the floor 

***** 

Pailong awoke with a start, as if the force of falling to the floor had literally awaken him from his nightmare. Breathing heavily, surrounded in warm darkness, he realized that he was still within his coffin, and that the entire episode had been nothing more than a terrible dream. Staring at the smooth lacquered underside of his coffin's lid, he closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down. 

_Why am I having these nightmares now?_ He thought. _That was over twenty years ago, and I have already reconciled with Tao Jun, and yet... I still can't seem to let go of the past._

Slowly, he pushed open the lid of his coffin to be greeted by more darkness. The coffin lay forlornly in a curtained corner of the burned-out Chinese restaurant that Ren had purchased for their living quarters here in Tokyo. Stepping out of his unusual bed, he padded forward toward the living room and looked out the window toward the street below. 

The full moon shown with pearly brilliance over the abandoned street. Nothing stirred, save for a few newspapers that skittered across the pavement like broken butterflies. Pailong guessed that is must still be late in the evening, and yet somehow he could not bring himself to go back to sleep. He felt depressed somehow, the dream bringing unbidden memories to the surface of his consciousness. An image of his wife's smiling face came to him, her golden blonde hair cascading over her shoulders in amber waves. If he closed his eyes, he could feel the soft locks of her hair running through his fingers, as if she were actually there beside him. 

A shiver ran through his lifeless body as he choked on a sob. He could feel the tears springing to his eyes, unbidden and unwanted. He tried to hold back the flood gate of emotions, but they burst forth and cascaded down his cheeks and fell to the carpet in glistening diamonds. He pressed his cold forehead against the windowpane, eyes squeezed tight. 

_Why? God, why do I keep remembering the past? I want to forget... Forget everything..._

He needed to take his mind off things. He needed to do something mindless, something that would allow him to fade into peaceful oblivion and prevent his thoughts from turning down that road once more. 

Pailong glanced at the old couch in the living room and decided that one couldn't engage in an activity more mindless than watching TV. Squatting in front of the 36 inch set, he rummaged around in the cabinet for an appropriate movie. He pulled one out, and chuckled softly to himself when he realized that it was "Fists of Rage" one of his earlier movies. 

_How appropriate,_ he smiled as he popped the tape into the VCR and turned the volume down, so as not to awaken the others. _I'm trying to lose myself in a fantasy world of my own creation._

The movie began to play and bathed the room in a bluish radiance. Pailong propped his feet on the coffee table and watched himself, unchanged in twenty years, began to beat the crap out of a group of expendable bad guys. His lips mouthed the words to some of his more popular lines as he lost himself in the golden years of his Hollywood career. 

"That's enough!" The TV Pailong said, his fists clenched in anger. "You screwed with me, now suffer my wrath!" 

_If only things were that simple,_ he thought. The movies made ever thing so clear-cut in black and white. You were either one of the good guys, or one of the bad guys. But Pailong learned long ago that life wasn't so simple. There were infinite shades of gray in between. 

Once he thought the Taos were nothing more than black-hearted demons; murderers that had enslaved him both body and soul. He even tried to kill his master, Tao Jun. But that was before he truly knew her, before Asakura Yoh had opened his eyes that had been blinded by anger. He knew now that Tao Jun was a victim, as much as he. She too was a slave to her family. 

"Pailong?" A gentle voice called to him, nearly causing him to jump out of his skin. He didn't need to turn around to know who that sweet voice belonged to. 

"I'm sorry, Miss Jun! I didn't mean to wake you." He stood and bowed respectfully to her, embarrassed by his blunder. It was his duty to make sure his mistress was safe and comfortable, and here he was watching TV at an ungodly hour. He wouldn't be surprised if Ren was probably awake by now. 

"You didn't wake me up," Jun smiled genially, drawing her silk robe tighter against her body as she settled herself on the couch next to him. 

"Then what were you doing up?" Her mochirei asked. It was not like her to be awake in the middle of the night. She had always been a sound sleeper, he should know. He used to stand by her bedside every night when she was a child, commanded by Taoist spells to protect her from harm. 

"I might ask you the same thing," she smiled, hands folded neatly in her lap. "If you must know, I got thirsty and needed to get a drink of water. So I went to the kitchen, and that's when I saw you." 

"Oh," Pailong leaped to his feet. "Please, let me get it for you." 

He padded softly toward the kitchen, leaving Jun to gaze at the TV. He pulled a clean glass from the cabinet and filled it with cold water from the sink, then quickly returned to the living room. Cupping the glass in both hands, so as not to spill a single drop on her robe, he offered it to her. 

"Thank you, Pailong," she smiled sweetly while taking the glass from him and slowly sipping at its contents. "Ah! That's good." 

"If you ever need anything, all you have to do it ask," the martial artist settled himself onto the couch once more. 

"I know." She set the glass between her fingers and rolled it back and forth slightly. 

"What's wrong?" Pailong leaned closer. He could clearly make out the pale outline of her face illuminated by the bluish glow of the TV. Her jade green hair fell to her shoulders, the only time it was ever free from the confines of her purple barrettes. He wished she would wear down more often. 

"You seem different." Her deep blue eyes stared into his own, searching for something. "You usually are aware of my presence the moment I enter the room, but I had been standing behind you for a few minutes and you didn't even notice." He blushed furiously at his carelessness. "You seemed lost in your own little world" 

"I'm sorry, Miss Jun," he bowed his head. "I am failing in my duties as a mochirei and that is unforgivable." 

"Don't say that." She set the glass on the coffee table. "You have done nothing wrong. It's just that" She placed a slender hand atop his huge calloused one. He trembled at her warm touch. "I'm worried about you." 

"About me?" He wore that vacant gaze that had annoyed his master so much in life. "Whatever for?" 

"For the past few days, you have seem so distracted. I look into your eyes, and I only find myself staring back. It's as if you don't even see me." 

"I'm sorry--" He started to apologize, but a sad look from his mistress caused him to fall silent. 

"Don't apologize. All I want to know is what is troubling my mochirei. Even now, I can tell you are not yourself. I've never seen you watch your old movies before." 

"Well," he averted his gaze once more. "It's just that I've been having this dream--" 

"Oh!" She placed a finger to her lip in surprise. 

" 'Oh' what?" 

"I didn't know that a kyonshii could dream," she laughed a little. "It's amazing how very little I really know about you, both as a person, and as my mochirei." 

"I will tell you anything you wish to know about me," Pailong smiled. 

"Then what were you dreaming about?" 

Pailong hesitated. He didn't want his mistress to worry about him over such a trivial matter, but he knew she would not leave him alone until he confessed. He stared at his feet as he replied in a low voice, "I've been having the same dream over and over again for the past few weeks. I keep dreaming about the day that I died" 

Jun opened her mouth to speak, then fell silent. She plucked at the green silk of her robe. Pailong knew she was uncomfortable. 

"Pailong, I--" 

"I already know what you're going to say," he turned his gaze toward the TV once more. His movie double was about to face the yakuza boss for the final showdown. The real Pailong was about to face a difficult adversary, as well. "You've apologized enough for the sins of your family. I've already come to terms with the past. There's no need to apologize anymore." 

"But still," she stared intently at the pattern on her nightgown. "It _is_ my fault that you are like this. These dreams you've been having, is that as far as it goes? During the day, you go about your daily tasks as if you were in a waking dream." She turned her eyes on him and fixed him with a piercing stare. Pailong flinched under her gaze; it was best if he got this off his chest now rather than wait for her to bring it up later. 

"I've just been reminiscing a lot lately. When I'm not training or working, or doing something to keep busy, my mind keeps wandering toward the past. I think about things. Silly little things, like my costars and how we'd goof around between takes, or how we'd share pictures of our families." 

"Do you think about them a lot? You're family, I mean." 

Pailong gasped slightly when she said that. Never before had Jun openly asked him about his family. He wasn't quite sure why. He thought maybe she didn't want to remind him of the past, or maybe that she didn't want to know about the first woman he ever shared his love with. 

He looked at her and noticed the sad expression in her eyes. He sighed. "I think about them all the time." 

"What were they like? You've never told me about your family before." 

"Well, you never asked." 

"I didn't really feel comfortable talking about such a delicate subject with you." 

There was a long pause before he began. "My wife was a beautiful American woman. We met while she was vacationing in Hong Kong. She barely had a grasp of the language, and all I can remember was her stumbling around, trying to find a decent Chinese restaurant." He chuckled a little at that last remark. "So, I offered to take her out to eat and well One thing led to another, and eventually we were wed." 

"I see," Jun smiled a little, here eyes locked firmly onto her folded hands. "She must have been a wonderful woman." 

"She was." Pailong leaned back and gazed at the ceiling. "She was very kind and a great cook, too. She had a wonderful sense of humor, and always did her best to support me in my career. She even decided to move with me to China, so that I could be closer to my work, even though she knew nothing of the language or the customs. She sacrificed so much, all just to make me happy." 

Pailong turned his head and was surprised by the look on Jun's face. He wasn't quite sure, her expression was difficult to read, but did he see a tear sliding down her cheek? Was she saddened by the fact that he was thinking about his wife? 

She noticed his eyes upon her, and quickly brushed a hand across her face. She smiled, but there was no mirth behind it. 

"And your children? What were they like?" 

"Everything a father could ask for." 

Jun turned toward the TV once more. The movie Pailong was walking into the sunset with a beautiful Chinese woman by his side, both of them smiling. The screen faded out and the credits began to roll. 

"You must have been very happy." She clutched the fabric of her robe tightly. 

"I was." 

"Do you wish you could go back?" 

There was a long pause. Finally, "Yes." 

"I see." 

"Miss Jun." The martial artist had a keen awareness of his master's feelings and knew something was troubling her greatly. He slowly placed a huge hand over her own, to keep them from fidgeting. Tao Jun raised her eyes to gaze into his own. 

"Please, tell me what's on your mind," Pailong rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. "I know that you're distressed. You can't hide your feelings so easily from your own mochirei." 

She gave him a small smile. "You're right. You always have been good at discerning my feelings." She stared at their hands for a moment. "I've just been thinking. Why did you decide to stay with me? You could have passed on to heaven. It would have been only a matter of time until your family joined you. So why did you choose to stay if you knew that you would never see them again in this life?" 

Pailong fell silent, stunned by her statement. Unable to formulate an answer, he said, "Miss Jun, you already know why--" 

"No I don't!" She snatched her hands from his grasp. "You said you wanted to become my kyonshii so that you could perfect your Dao Dan Do, but you also said you wanted to remain by my side." She gazed at him out of the corner of her eye. "But still, you pine away for this woman who believes you to be dead, and yet you say that you wish to remain by _my_ side. So why _did_ you stay?" 

Pailong opened his mouth to speak, but quickly fell silent. So she _did_ feel jealous of his wife. He had never seen her so upset before. Why should this trouble her so much? Wasn't she happy knowing that he was by her side right now? 

_Why should she care if I think about my wife now and then? _He thought angrily. _I'll never be able to see her; never see my children grow up to raise families of their own._ _How selfish. She should feel sorry for me. It's her fault that I'm dead..._

He quickly shook his head to banish the evil thought. What was he thinking? He'd stopped blaming her a long time ago. He knew it wasn't her fault; she didn't know that what she was doing was wrong. Even though he missed his family terribly, he truly wanted to be by her side, and that was what made him happy. As long as he could continue to serve her, no sorrow could ever live in his heart for very long. 

"That's what I thought," Jun closed her eyes and sighed softly. "Your silence proves me right. You wished that you had left me. You never wanted to be my kyonshii." 

"No," Pailong shook his head. "That's not true. I do miss my family, but I've made peace with the past. I know that I can never be with them in this life. The past doesn't matter to me anymore." He reached forward and cupped her small chin in his hand, forcing her to look into his dark eyes. "But please believe me when I say this: being with you makes me happy. The happiness your presence brings me far outweighs any sadness I might have." 

Jun's eyes sparkled in the moonlight like two sapphires. She seemed on the verge of tears, despite Pailong's reassuring smile. 

"Do you truly mean it?" 

"I mean every word. When I said I wanted to remain by your side, I meant it." 

Jun gave him a small smile. "That makes me happy. I apologize for saying those terrible things. I was jealous, but that's no excuse for my behavior. I'm sorry for doubting you." 

"Don't be," he grinned. "I _am_ your mochirei, after all. I promised to remain by your side until death do us part, and I don't intend to break that promise." 

She sniffed a little while rubbing at her eyes. "Thank you, Pailong." 

"Now, you should go back to bed," he stood and gently pulled her to her feet. "There is much to be done before the preliminaries begin. Your brother will need your support during these difficult times." 

"I know," her gaze traveled to the door down the hall. He younger brother, Ren, was sleeping soundly behind that door, perhaps dreaming of the day when he would finally defeat his rival, Asakura Yoh. It was strange how Jun looked at that headphones-wearing boy as a savior, while Ren viewed him as an obstacle. Perhaps one day, he might change his mind about Yoh. Jun hoped he would. 

Pailong began leading Jun back to her room, but she stopped before he could open the door. 

"What is it, Miss Jun?" He tilted his head to one side in confusion. 

"Pailong," she placed her hand upon the red symbol on his chest, and he placed his hand over her own. "I don't want you to be sad. If there's anything I can do to help you, you'll tell me, won't you? 

"Of course, Miss Jun, but I already told you, your mere presence makes me happy. Now, get some sleep. You'll have a long day ahead of you." 

He removed his hand, but her fingers still lingered a moment longer before she turned and opened the door to her room. 

"Good night, Pailong," she whispered while closing the door. 

"Good night, Miss Jun." He stood for a few minutes outside her door, as if unsure of what to do. Finally, he walked down the hall and climbed back into his coffin. Replacing the lid, he closed his eyes, though sleep remained an ever elusive prey. 

______________________________________________________________________________ 

So, what'd you think? This is my very first published fic ever, so constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! I'm already hard at work on chapter two, so please read and review! 


	2. Birthday Surprise

Wow... Already two reviews! Yay! Keep them coming in! Oh yeah, and in case you've only been watching the dub, Ren has an obsession with milk and the number three, for some odd reason. So you'll see little allusions to that throughout the fic, just cause it's so funny. Anyway, on with chapter two! 

****

**Chapter Two: Birthday Surprise**

Pailong lay awake in his coffin, sleep teasing on the fringes of his consciousness. He tried counting sheep, but he lost count. He tried reciting all the positions of his Dao Dan Do, but he soon ran out of positions. Admitting defeat, he resigned himself to insomnia; not that he really needed sleep, being dead and all. His keen hearing picked up a variety of nightly noises, so he entertained himself by trying to identify them. 

Every now and then a car zoomed by on the street below. A cat began to serenade its fellow felines, only to be yelled at by one of the neighbors and to have a shoe thrown at it. A car alarm went off somewhere down the block and remained on for five minutes before falling silent. Sometimes the wind would rattle an empty can across the pavement. 

Eventually, Pailong heard a familiar sound. It was like clockwork. Every night, around three a.m., the door down the hall would slowly creak open and soft footsteps would shuffle down the hall. He knew they belonged to Tao Ren, and that his faithful ghost companion, Bason, would be close behind. He couldn't tell how he knew Bason was there; ghosts make no sound, but perhaps it was because he himself was dead and so he was aware if others like him were nearby. 

After passing the living room, Ren would head toward the kitchen, and the door to the fridge would open. Pailong heard him loudly gulping down a glass of milk. He knew that's what he was drinking, because Ren wouldn't get up at three a.m., unless it was for milk. He could here the clink of glass and the door slamming closed, then the footsteps would head toward the hall once more. 

Pailong was acutely aware of the footsteps pausing in front of his coffin. The kyonshii had the disturbing impression that Ren was glaring at him, for some odd reason. Maybe he was resentful by the fact that Yoh had granted Pailong his freewill, an unforgivable act in the eyes of Tao Ren. Pailong felt a pang of sympathy for Bason, who never questioned his master and no longer wished for freewill, his spirit broken by his cruel master. Pailong hoped that someday Ren would come to understand Bason's feelings, just as Jun had come to understand his own. 

Finally, the footsteps receded down the hall and the door creaked closed. Pailong heaved a sigh of relief. He worried that one day Ren might decided to wield his kwan dao against him, and cut him neatly in two. He knew that would never happen, though. Jun would never forgive Ren if he did that, and if there was one thing Ren never did, it was make his sister unhappy. He really was a good kid, albeit misguided, but deep down Pailong knew the boy cared deeply for his sister. 

Pailong closed his eyes. Sleep finally had come to him, and he sighed with relief. Tomorrow was another day, and the preliminaries were drawing ever closer 

He was awakened by a loud rapping against the lid of his coffin. For a moment, he was reminded eerily of his dream, but this was only a gentle tapping, nothing threatening. Sliding the lid off, he was met by the lovely face of Tao Jun, her hand poised in the air, about to rap him on his forehead. 

"Oh, sorry about that," she smiled sheepishly. "It took you long enough to wake up." 

Pailong sat up and squinted into the gloom. The room was still dark, cold grey sunlight only beginning to filter through the blinds. 

"What time is it?" He stretched and yawned mightily. "This is early, even for you, Miss Jun." 

"It's six o'clock," she straightened and smoothed out the folds in her robe. "I wanted to get up early today, before Ren woke up." 

"Why?" The kyonshii cocked an eyebrow in confusion. 

"Come into the kitchen and we'll talk over a cup of coffee." 

She turned and glided away, her silk robe shimmering in the dim light. Pailong scratched his head in confusion, but obeyed her nonetheless. Climbing out of his coffin, he followed her into the kitchen and waited while she poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the small table between the kitchen and the living room. After she was comfortably seated, he sat down across from her and watched as she slowly sipped at her coffee. 

"Ah! Nothing like a little Chinese brew to revitalize the senses," she sighed in ecstasy. "It's too bad you can't drink it." 

"I never really liked coffee that much, anyway," he smiled. "Besides, the smell is enough to wake me up." 

There was a moment of silence while Jun continued to sip at her coffee. Finally, she decided to initiate the conversation. 

"Pailong. I've been thinking a lot last night." She sat the green mug down in front of her and stared at its contents. 

"About what?" Pailong felt worried. He wasn't sure where the conversation was headed. 

"Lots of things, namely you." She brought her gaze up to meet his, her sea blue eyes lucid. "I've been thinking about the way you've been spending your time. Each day the same thing: training and working. Working and training. I've been wondering if perhaps that's why you keep reminiscing about the past. Your life thus far has been less than How do I put this?" She tapped her finger on the table for a moment, struggling to articulate her thoughts. 

"Satisfying?" Pailong interjected. 

"Exactly!" Her blue eyes sparkled with excitement. "I haven't really been a very good dao-shi lately, have I?" 

"Miss Jun, you're a wonderful dao-shi--" Pailong started, but he was quickly cut off. 

"If I'm so wonderful, then how come my loyal mochirei is so unhappy?" 

Pailong was about to speak, but quickly fell silent. 

"Listen, I think what you need is a little taste of life again." Jun reached across the table and placed her had atop his own. His gaze traveled from her hand to her eyes. Her blue eyes were sparkling with vivacity. Pailong frowned slightly. She was planning something, but what? 

"Where exactly are you going with this?" 

"I mean, it must be dreadfully boring for you to be cooped up in here all day long with nothing to do. So, today I'm going to treat you to something very special." 

"And what would that be?" 

"Do you know what today is?" She grinned slyly. Pailong closed his eyes in irritation. She was asking so many cryptic questions this morning, and it was much too early for thinking. 

"No," he sighed with infinite patience. "Please, Miss Jun, tell me what today is." 

"It's November twenty-ninth; your birthday, of course!" 

Pailong blinked several times. 

"Huh?" was all he could manage. 

"Don't tell me you forgot your own birthday?" Jun chuckled slightly at his vacant expression. She found that look so endearing. 

"But I" He shook his head. "Wait a minute! I never told you when my birthday was. How did you find out?" 

"Silly Pailong," she took another sip of coffee. "It wasn't that difficult. You _were_ a famous movie star, remember? Your life wasn't exactly all that private, now was it?" 

Pailong rested his chin on his hands, amazed at his dao-shi's resourcefulness. The old saying, 'still waters run deep' came to his mind when he looked upon her smiling face. What other secrets was she hiding behind those sapphire eyes? 

"So, your planning to throw me a birthday party, is that it?" Pailong grinned. 

"Even better. I'm going to take you on the best birthday outing you've had in your entire life unlife existence. Whatever. You know what I mean!" 

"You mean," Pailong straightened in his seat, his eyes round with wonder. "You're going to take me out there." He turned his head toward the window in front of the balcony, which opened up onto the street below. How long had it been since he actually got to go outside, to feel the sun upon his skin and the wind in his hair. But what if 

"Miss Jun! You can't mean You know I can't go out there! What if someone recognized me? How do you think people would react if they saw a dead movie star walking down the street?" He stared at his hands upon the table. His lifeless flesh was purplish-grey, lacking any warmth; the mark of a creature no longer living, but not quite dead. He did not belong out there among those people. To them, he was nothing more than a monster. 

"I've already thought about that, and I've taken care of everything." She winked at him. "Trust me. No one will recognize you." 

"You're sure?" He asked, his eyebrow cocked in disbelief. 

"Of course. I want this day to be perfect for you." 

Pailong stared at her for a long moment, not quite believing what he was hearing. She had planned this all out, just for him, without him even asking. He smiled at her heartfelt attempt to make him happy on this special day. 

"Well, when do we leave?" He asked. 

"As soon as we get ready. Let me shower and get dressed, and you put on those clothes laying on the couch, all right? But be quite. I want to leave before Ren wakes up." 

"Why is that, Miss Jun?" 

"Well," she averted her gaze guiltily. "I just don't think he'd approve, that's all. But so what!" Her eyes burned with resolve. "It's my business what I do with my mochirei, and that's all there is to it." 

The tall girl stood and placed her mug in the sink then headed down the hall. Pailong could only stare after her for a few moments before getting up himself and heading toward the living room. He sat on the couch beside a neatly folded set of clothes. Gingerly, he picked up the article of clothing on top and found it to be a very expensive looking leather jacket. 

_When did she go shopping for this?_ He thought in surprise. The only clothing he every wore was the black silk shirt and kung-fu pants that all the kyonshii under the Tao's control wore. It never occurred to him that he should wear anything else. Shrugging his broad shoulders, he removed his old clothing and threw it on the back of the couch. 

He had dressed himself in a simple white T-shirt and blue jeans with the black leather jacket and black riding gloves. Jun had also found a pair of black leather boots and a pair of black sunglasses, just like he used to wear when he made movies. He smiled, feeling like his old self again, and looked the sunglasses over. They were even the same brand name! 

_Where did she find these?_ He shook his head and smiled as he gathered his clothes and threw them in the hamper. No sooner had he done that than a familiar voice said, "I'm ready!" 

Pailong turned and felt his jaw hit the floor. Tao Jun emerged wearing a wide-brimmed sun hat with an orchid tucked in the brim on the right side. Her hair was down, trailing below her shoulders like jade silk. She was wearing a green sun dress that accentuated her bust and hips, and she had a pair of green high-heels. A jade necklace adorned her neck and a jade bracelet was on her wrist, and a little green purse dangled from her hand. 

"What are you staring at, Pailong?" She tilted her head to one side. "Is there something on my face?" 

"What? Ah, no!" He shook his head quickly. "You look fine, I mean, you look gorgeous." 

She blushed slightly at his remark, as did he. 

"Does everything fit all right?" She pointed to his clothing. "It took me forever to find everything in a size large enough for you to wear." 

"Oh, everything's perfect." He smiled. "But the shirt is just a little tight. He rubbed his hand up and down his impressive physique. 

"Well, I'd like to think that it accentuates your musculature." She laughed behind her hand. "You wouldn't want all that strength training to be for nothing, now would you?" 

Miss Jun," he felt embarrassed by her lighthearted remark. "You know that's not why I workout--" 

"I know, I'm just teasing you," she slapped him on the shoulder. "Now for the finishing touches. Kneel down, so I can reach you." 

"Okay," he did as he was told while she removed a compact from her purse and began dabbing at it. Pailong scrunched up his face as she was about to apply the make-up. 

"Oh, don't do that," she frowned while he peeked at her with one eye. "It won't go on evenly if you scrunch your face up like that." 

"All right," he sighed. "Deep cleansing breath." He inhaled, as if in preparation for his training, then let it all go out in a whoosh before relaxing his facial muscles. 

"Honestly," Jun shook her head while she began rubbing on the make up. "You used to me a movie star, for crying out loud! I know that they had to put make-up on you." 

"Doesn't mean that I enjoyed it," he began but a hiss from Jun to 'keep still' quickly silenced him. 

After a few minutes, Jun stood and announced. "All done. What do you think?" 

Pailong opened his eyes and found himself staring into his own reflection, looking as youthful and vibrant as he did in life. He gasped in amazement, reached up to touch his cheek 

"Don't do that." He stopped and looked up at Jun, who was still holding the compact. "You have to wait for it to dry completely, or else you'll smear it up. Also, I may have to reapply it every now and then, so don't give me any trouble, all right?" 

"Yes, Miss Jun," he rolled his eyes. 

"Now come on, the day's barely begun, and there's so much to do." 

"All right," he smiled while placing the sunglasses on his face. They walked out the door and hurried down the stairs, eager to go outside and greet the new day. 

_It's been so long since I actually lived a normal day,_ Pailong thought to himself as the opened the door and the first rays of the morning dawn greeted them. Oddly enough, he found Tao Jun's excitement was beginning to rub off on him, and he began to relax. Today was going to be a good day, and nothing could possible go wrong. 

Well, what'd you think? Please read and review! Next up, Tao Ren wakes up, and he's got no breakfast on the table! Gasp! What'll he do? Plus, find out what's first on Pailong's and Jun's list of funs stuff to do! By the way, November 29, 1948 is Pailong's real birthday. It says so in the manga profiles. That means, he's a Sagittarius, and you know what that means? He's a big party animal! Sagittarius signs love to have fun, and are only happy when everyone joins in! Oddly enough, they're also loyal and honest, too. That is _so_ Pailong right there. 


	3. Crouching Ren, Hidden Jun

Thanks a lot for all the wonderful reviews! I'm so glad you all are liking it so much! Anyway, Pailong will talk more about his past, so you'll learn more about his family and such. You really can't ignore the fact that he _was_ human once, with a family, and I had always been curious about them. By the way, for those who don't know, 'bocchama' means 'young master,' and 'nee-san' means 'big sister.' Read, review, and enjoy!****

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**Chapter 3:** **Crouching Ren, Hidden Jun**

The sunlight was streaming through the blinds and several song birds were perched outside, singing praises to the dawn. The boy rolled over and curled into a tight ball, refusing to admit defeat and awaken to the new day. He was dreaming about that damn headphones boy, stupid carefree Asakura Yoh. How dare he make a mockery of him, the illustrious heir of the Tao Family? One day, he'd find that sniveling brat and his stupid samurai ghost, and he would enjoy slicing him in two with his mighty kwan dao. 

"Good morning, bocchama!" A chipper voice announced and the boy was acutely aware of the soft glow near his face. 

"Go away, Bason," he waved a hand at the red spirit flame. 

Undaunted, the ball of light resembling a Chinese warlord in a round helmet flew in lazy circle around his master's head. 

"Wake up, wake up, the sun is shining out," Bason began in a singsong voice. "It's time to greet the day--" 

He was cut off by the suddenly looming form of his master, Tao Ren. The boy's golden eyes were squinted against the light, but they were menacing all the same. 

"If you sing again, I will kill you... Again..." 

"F-f-forgive me, bocchama," the spirit flame trembled. "But it is time to wake up. You must begin training for the preliminaries--" 

"I know that!" He practically snarled, as if he were a ferocious tiger, but he quickly regained his composure once more. "Don't you worry. Soon, I'll have that Asakura Yoh's head on a silver platter. We just have to wait and bide our time. The opportunity will present itself eventually." 

"That's it, bocchama!" Bason smiled, though it was difficult to tell. "I am truly blessed to have a master as power and cunning as you." 

"You should feel honored," Ren grinned arrogantly as he threw the sheets off and strode toward the closet where his red house robe was hanging on the knob. He slipped it on and proceeded toward the kitchen, his faithful spirit trailing behind him. 

The thirteen year old boy shuffled toward the table and sat down, his eyes still clogged with sleep. Patiently, he waited for Jun to place his breakfast on the table before him. He waited. And waited. And waited 

"Nee-san? Where's my food?" He rubbed at his eyes, regaining his vision. 

Funny, he could usually smell the warm aroma of coffee and rice as soon as he woke up, but not today. He blinked several times and looked toward the kitchen. It was as empty as a graveyard. 

"Nee-san? Where's breakfast?" He called impatiently. 

Sighing, he jumped off the chair and marched toward the kitchen. Strange. Except for a single coffee mug sitting forlornly in the sink, none of the dishes had been soiled. 

"Why hasn't nee-san made breakfast yet?" Ren wondered, feeling worried that something was wrong. Jun was always up before him with breakfast ready as soon as he woke up. It wasn't like her to break such a familiar habit. Maybe she was sick? 

"What's wrong, bocchama?" Bason floated to his master's side. 

"Nee-san hasn't made breakfast," he scratched at his black hair in confusion. "Something's wrong. I can feel it." 

Ren hurried down the hall to his sister's room and gently knocked on the door. 

"Nee-san? Are you awake?" He waited for a replay, but none came. "Nee-san? Are you feeling well? Can I come it?" Only silence met his ears. "Nee-san! If you don't answer, I'm coming in, all right?" He said, but he couldn't keep the note of worry out of his voice. 

Silence. Ren was feeling panicked. He grabbed the doorknob and swiftly opened the door, only to be met by an empty bed with meticulously folded sheets. 

He half expected to find his sister deathly ill, or murdered perhaps, but not vanished. 

"Nee-san?" He called into the darkened room. "Nee-san, where are you? Is this some sort of game?" He checked behind the door, thinking that maybe she was playing some practical joke on him, even though it wasn't in her nature to joke around. Ren checked the closet, the bathroom, even under the bed, just to be safe. It was as he feared. His sister was gone. 

"Nee-san!" He ran out of the room and began checking all the closets and any other rooms he had neglected to investigate. 

"Bocchama! Whatever is the matter?" The spirit flame floated questioningly near his master's head. 

"My nee-san! She's gone!" Ren grabbed Bason and held him in a deathlike grip. "I can't find her! She's gone!" 

"B-bocchama, you're hurting me," the spirit flame said, tears welling in his eyes. 

"Where could she be? Where could she be?" Ren shook his mochirei back and forth furiously. 

"P-perhaps, you should ask P-Pailong where y-your nee-san has g-gone," Bason struggled to say, growing dizzy from his master's punishment. 

"Of course!" He dropped the hapless spirit flame to the floor, Bason's eyes swirling around in his head. "That stupid stiff must know where she has gone." 

He ran to the coffin and pounded on the lid. 

"Wake up, you good-for-nothing corpse! Where is my nee-san?" He folded his arms over his chest, waiting impatiently for the kyonshii to emerge. But nothing happened. 

"Kisama!" Ren grabbed the edge of the lid and flung it to one side, only to be met with the smooth red interior of the coffin. It was empty, just like nee-san's bed. 

"Pailong is gone, too?" He continued to stare at the empty coffin in horror. Bason floated slowly toward his master's side. "Nee-san. You didn't abandon me, did you?" 

The boy slumped to his knees, still staring in shock. How could she do this to him? Out of all the members of his family, Jun was the only one he could ever trust, the only one he ever cared about. Could she really abandon her only brother, the only one she cared about as well? 

"This can't be" Ren stared at his hands clenched tightly in front of him. He was on the verge of tears. "Nee-san wouldn't abandon me. I know she wouldn't" 

"Bocchama, perhaps she just stepped out for a bit--" But the spirit flame was cut off by a piercing wail that could probably be heard halfway across Tokyo. 

"NEE-SAAAAAN! WHERE ARE YOOOOUUUU?" 

The sun had already risen and the streets were crowded with people hurrying to work and school. The city was alive with the pulse of pounding feet on pavement. The people were like the lifeblood of the city, guiding its growth and development. Two figures were flowing along with the rest, enjoying the cool autumn breeze wafting through the streets. 

The girl in the green sun dress paused for a moment, as if listening to a voice on the wind. 

"What is it, Miss Jun?" The tall man in the black leather jacket asked. 

"Oh, nothing," she shook her head and smiled. "For some strange reason, I thought I heard Ren-kun calling me. I hope he found that note I wrote for him. I was in such a hurry, I'm not sure if I pinned it to the fridge or not." 

Pailong laughed. "You two share such close bonds, I wouldn't be surprised. But I'm sure he's fine. He's gone traipsing about Tokyo all by himself looking for Asakura Yoh, being left home alone should be a piece of cake." 

"I don't know" They began walking again. "Ren-kun had suffered a bad case of separation anxiety as a child. I'm not quite sure if he ever got over it." 

"What do you mean?" 

"When we were younger, we once shared the same room because the Tao Mansion was such a big and scary place for two small children. Then, when Ren-kun turned five years old, our father sought to separate us, so that he could concentrate more on his training. For many nights, Ren-kun would sneak back into my room, but Father punished him severely. Eventually, he stopped trying to come to me, but I could hear his wracking sobs down the hall each night. It must have been terrible for him, for such a little boy to be trapped in a huge dark room all by himself." 

"Oh," Pailong's face fell. "I see. So many terrible things. It's no wonder he turned out the way he did." 

"That's why I hope he found that note. At least he won't worry about us if he realizes we're just going out for the day." 

"I'm sure he saw it." Pailong smiled. 

"So, what do you want to do first?" 

"Huh?" He gave her a vacant look. "Well, gee, I dunno. What ever you want to do." 

"No, no, no! This is _your_ special day. We have to do whatever _you_ want to do." 

"Well, I don't really know what I want to do," he scratched the back of his head and laughed heartily. 

"What did you like to do when you were alive?" She pulled her purse strap higher on her shoulder. 

"Lots of stuff. I just don't know what I want to do now." He looked skyward and watched as a large crow soared overhead to disappear behind some buildings. "Let's just walk around some more. I'm sure we'll find something." 

They continued walking. Pailong watched the people of various ages and nationalities walk by him, as if he were invisible. He smiled to himself. He was just another anonymous face in the crowd. They had absolutely no idea who or what he was, and that made him happy. Jun was right; no one seemed to recognize him. 

He sighed, finally able to relax. The air around them was filled with the buzz of conversation, shoes pounding on pavement, merchants hawking their wares, trying to convince people to come take a look around their stores. Soon, Pailong's keen ears picked up another sound. He paused outside a shop window and peered in, not noticing that Jun was still walking away. 

"Pailong, perhaps we should--" She looked to her right and noticed her tall companion was no longer by her side. She quickly turned around and noticed that he was standing in front of a shop window a few feet back, seemingly mesmerized. 

"Pailong, what are you doing?" 

"Do you hear that?" He asked, his eyes closed. 

Jun listened closely. She could hear a sweet ambient melody coming from within the shop. She looked up and the painted letters on the window and gave a small gasp of joy. 

"It's a music store. They sell all sorts of CDs, cassettes, and records. Do you want to go inside?" 

"Why not?" Pailong smiled and the entered the store. 

Shelves lined every available inch of the walls and formed tight little aisles. Pailong had to squeeze himself between some of the tighter spaces, but he continued looking around for where the soft melody was coming from that had drawn him to the store in the first place. He found the noise was coming from a small strange machine near the back of the store where a young woman was idly reading the newspaper. 

"Excuse me?" Pailong announced and the girl looked up at him and smiled sweetly. 

"May I help you, sir?" 

"What's that?" He pointed to the little silver machine. 

"Oh, this?" She looked at what he was pointing to. "It's a compact disk player. It's all the rage with the younger generation. See, it uses tiny compact disks instead of bulky vinyl records." 

She pressed a button, and the music ceased and a small shiny disk popped out. 

"Look, it's smaller and more efficient than a record. The sound quality on these babies is so clear, you'd think you were standing right there next to the band. And you never have to worry about scratches and skipping, like with records, because there are no needles involved. A tiny laser beam" 

She continued to ramble on about stuff Pailong didn't understand. He took the disk from her hand and looked it over. It was silver, but it caught the light and reflected it back in a multitude of iridescent colors. He breathed in awe. 

"It's so pretty," he sighed. 

"Huh?" The salesclerk looked at him, as if he were crazy. 

"I'd like one of these," he waved the disk back and forth. 

"Well, you can't have this one," she took it from him, "it belongs to the store. But if you go in that aisle over there," she pointed, "you can find this disk and others like it. It's under 'Mediation and Sounds of Nature'. Put the headphones on, and you can listen to other songs, too." 

"Thank you very much," he bowed slightly to her and made his way toward the CD rack. 

"Find anything you like yet?" Jun asked while idly browsing through some CDs of traditional Chinese music. 

"Almost," he smiled and stood in front of the 'meditation' section. 

Picking up the headphones, he placed them on his head and began listening to the soft ambient music again. He closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of waterfalls and flutes whistling softly in his ears. 

_This would be perfect to help me focus my mind,_ he thought. 

After a moment, he was aware of someone by his side, but he was too absorbed in the music to really notice. He bobbed his head back and forth to the tune as the person next to him did the same. Finally, as the song reached its end, Pailong opened his eyes and turned toward the stranger on his left. 

A boy with dark hair and a pair of orange headphones on his neck, while the store's pair rested on his ears, turned and looked up at him. 

"It's you!" They both cried in unison. 

"Asakura Yoh!" Pailong removed the headphones and smiled at the boy. 

"Hey, Pailong," Yoh removed his own headphones and craned his neck to get a better look at the tall man. "Lookin' good. What're you doing here?" 

"Miss Jun is taking me out for my birthday," Pailong picked up the CD he was looking for. "What are you doing here?" 

"Oh, just grabbing a new record real fast before I have to go shopping for Anna." 

"I see," Pailong laughed. "Where are the others?" 

"Outside at a nearby café." He grinned. "Hey! You and Jun-san wanna come join us?" 

"We'd be happy to," Jun approached them with a smile on her face. "It's good to see you again, Yoh-kun." 

They went to the check-out counter to make their purchases, then quickly walked across the street to the café Yoh was telling them about. 

"Hey, Yoh-kun!" The short boy with brown hair waved at him. "What took you so long? I thought maybe you fell asleep listening to all that relaxing music in there." 

"Naw, I was just saying 'hi' to some old friends," he chuckled as he sat down at the round white table. 

Manta's mouth dropped as soon as he saw Pailong and his dao-shi. "Pailong! Jun-san! What are you doing here?" 

"Miss Jun is taking me out because it's my birthday," Pailong grinned while holding out a chair for his master. 

"It's your" Manta gasped. "Oh no! How could I have forgotten!" He grabbed his hair in frustration. 

"Yeah, I'm surprised," Yoh laughed while taking a sip from a cup of lemonade. "The way you idolize him, I would have thought you'd remembered." 

"Please forgive me, Pailong! I'll be sure to sent you a gift--" 

"It's all right, Manta-kun," the martial artist waved it away. "It's nice enough just being able to see my biggest fan, after so long." 

"Oh!" The short boy stared at him with eyes as round as dinner plates. "You really mean it?" 

"Don't praise him too much, Pailong," Yoh grinned devilishly. "He's already going into 'Pailong Overload'. You might make him completely spaz out." 

"Hey!" Manta frowned at his schoolmate while the boy only laughed. 

"Yoh-dono!" The white-haired samurai appeared near his master's side, his eyes filled with tears. "How come you never take me out on _my_ birthday?" 

"Eh?" He stared at his teary-eyed ghost in confusion. "Well, when _is_ you birthday, Amidamaru?" 

"Yoh-dono? You can't be serious? You actually forgot my birthday?" The samurai ghost covered his eyes with his arm and sobbed loudly. 

"Good thing no one else can hear him," Manta whispered behind his hand. 

"But Amidamaru! You never even told me when your birthday is." Yoh scratched the back of his head nervously. 

"It's January sixth!" 

"Well, that's only a little over a month away. I'll take you out to do something special, all right?" 

"You You really mean it, Yoh-dono?" Amidamaru sniffed back more tears. 

"Sure, why not? You're my best buddy, after all." He grinned. 

"Yoh-dono!" The samurai ghost grabbed his master in a huge bear hug, causing Yoh's eyes to bulge slightly. "You're such a good master!" 

"Not so hard" The young shaman managed to gasp. 

Amidamaru opened his eyes and quickly released his master. He cleared his throat nervously, resuming his normally stoic expression once more. 

"Forgive me, Yoh-dono," the samurai bowed apologetically. 

"Don't worry about it," Yoh waved it off. 

"So, how have things been going on with Anna-san?" Jun asked. 

"Ah, all right, I guess." He smiled weakly. "She's got me on a new training regimen, in preparation for the Shaman Fight preliminaries. We still don't know when they're going to start though." 

"We'll just have to wait for a sign," Jun turned her gaze toward the clear blue sky. 

"But at least there's some good news!" Manta piped in. "There's a new guy staying with Yoh and Anna. His name's Ryu, and he's trying to become a shaman, but Anna just makes him do all the housework, so at least me and Yoh-kun get a break for once." 

"But you can't help feeling a little sorry for him," Yoh sipped as his lemonade once more. "He thinks Anna's making him do some 'super secret training'. I don't think she thinks he's cut out to become a shaman." 

"You never really know," Pailong said. "Sometimes strength can be found in the most unlikely places." 

"Yoh-kun," Jun turned her attention to him once more. "Let me warn you, Ren-kun has not taken his defeat very lightly. He's been training night and day to become stronger than you. I'm telling you this because I still cannot thank you enough for what you did for Pailong and I." 

"Aw, it was nothing," Yoh scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I told you, people who can see ghosts always have a little good in them. That's why I wanted to help you, Jun-san. I knew you couldn't be all that bad, and I don't think your brother is, either." 

The green-haired girl gasped slightly. Yoh smiled all the more. 

"You'll see. Ren will come around eventually. Just give him some time." 

"Thank you, Yoh-kun," Jun smiled shyly. "If you even need any help, don't hesitate to ask." 

"Well, we'd better be going." Yoh slid out of his seat and gathered his shopping bags. "Manta and I had better finish with the shopping, or Anna will make me do the 'electric chair' for the rest of the day." 

"She can be pretty scary when you make her mad," Manta laughed nervously. 

"Good luck with your training, Yoh," Pailong waved at him. "Ren would be very disappointed if you didn't present him with a proper challenge." 

"Yeah, he won't have to worry about that." 

"Yoh-kun," Jun walked forward and stared into his warm eyes. "Please tell Anna-san thank you, as well. She also helped to reunite Pailong and I." 

"I'll let her know," he gave a small smile. 

"And also," Jun patted his shoulder. "I think the reason Anna-san is so hard on you is because she cares deeply about you. You know how they say, 'you always hurt the one you love'." 

"I'd hate to see what she'd do if she hated me!" Yoh laughed heartily. "But you know what? You and Pailong make a pretty cute couple, too." 

Jun gasped, taken aback by his offhand remark. She glanced at Pailong and noticed the deep blush tinting his cheeks. 

"Well, we gotta go now. Have fun you two!" Yoh waved to them and began walking away, Manta and Amidamaru close behind. 

"Good-bye, all of you!" Jun waved to them. "Take care now!" 

Pailong waved to them as well. Eventually, the three friends were long gone, swallowed up by the teeming mass of people. Jun continued to stare after them for several moments. That boy had no idea how much happiness his simple act have given them. Perhaps it was destiny that had brought them together that fateful evening, but Jun felt she must somehow repay the good karma of his selfless act. Maybe someday, she would have the chance to repay her debt. 

"Shall we go now?" Pailong stood over her, smiling. 

"Yes, what do you want to do next?" 

He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, let's keep walking and see what happens." 

Jun picked up her purse and they began walking down the crowded streets once more. 

Well, what'd you think? The reason Pailong was fascinated with the CD player is because he died in 1978, before CDs were around. Coming up next, Ren has to figure out a way to feed himself while Jun and Pailong have fun at the carnival. Poor Jun has never been to an amusement park before, and she's never been on a roller coaster What's gonna happen to her? 


	4. That Warm Fuzzy Feeling

Yay! Eleven reviews! I've tried my best to keep the character's personalities the same as in the anime and manga, and I think I've succeeded. As Hiroyuki Takei said in an interview, "I don't create the stories first, then the characters. Rather, stories are born because of the existence of the characters, right?" Anyway, on with chapter four! 

**Chapter Four: That Warm Fuzzy Feeling**

Tao Ren continued to stare in shock, unable to accept what had happened to him. 

"Nee-san, why? Why did you go away?" His hands trembled before him in a white-knuckled grip. 

_Where did I go wrong?_ He thought. _Maybe I should have shown more appreciation toward her. Would it have hurt to say 'thank you for being such a wonderful nee-san' every now and then? I've been so obsessed with defeating Asakura Yoh that I've taken my nee-san for granted. She's done so much for me and now__ Now she's gone._

"Bocchama!" Ren's faithful spirit companion called from the kitchen. "Come see what I've found!"__

__"I don't care," the boy scowled in his direction. "Nee-san's gone, and she's never coming back." 

"But bocchama! It looks like a note from Miss Jun." 

"What?" Ren bolted upright and raced toward the kitchen as if the note might suddenly disappear if he didn't hurry. "Where? Where is it?" 

"Over here." Bason hovered near the bottom of the fridge where a piece of paper had fallen. 

"Let me see!" Ren snatched it up and immediately recognized his sister's handwriting. He quickly read: 

_Nihao, Ren-kun!_

_Sorry for leaving without waking you up, but I thought you needed the extra sleep, since you've been training so hard. Today is Pailong's birthday, so we are going out for the day and will be back later in the evening. Please help yourself to anything in the pantry. Oh, and say hello to Bason for me._

_Love you lots,_

_Your Nee-san_

At the bottom of the note, Jun had drawn Pailong and herself in chibi-style, giving the peace-sign. 

"What?" Ren could only stare blankly at the piece of paper before him. Had she gone completely insane? What _did_ that headphones boy do to his sister and her mochirei? That tree-hugging, ghost-loving Yoh was polluting his sister's mind, making her think that her little corpse-puppet actually had feelings. He would have destroyed the rebellious kyonshii long ago, but he knew that his sister would never forgive him if he broke her precious toy. 

"How thoughtful," Bason stared teary-eyed at the note. "Bocchama never takes me out on _my_ birthday." 

"Kisama!" Ren tore the note in half, effectively separating the chibi Jun and Pailong. "What does she think she's doing? Does she want the whole world to know that we're shamans?" 

"Bocchama, you underestimate your nee-san. She would not allow us to become exposed to the outside world." 

"And that good-for-nothing corpse-puppet!" He glared at the picture of Pailong, as if he would burn holes through it with his gaze alone. "How dare he allow her to do such a thing? He's nothing but a mindless kyonshii!" 

"But bocchama, Pailong is her mochirei. He must obey his master, just as I am bound to obey you." 

"But he is no longer under her control; he's gained freewill," he crumpled the note up and threw it in the trash. "When's the last time you've seen a talisman on his forehead?" 

"Since the night she was defeated by Asakura Yoh," Bason said, but the evil glare from his master made him wish he hadn't reminded him of that second blow to his family's honor. 

Ren heaved a huge sigh, his anger dissipating. "I guess it's not my place to tell her how to handle her own mochirei, but still! Taking him out on his birthday? How ridiculous! He's dead for crying out loud. Next thing you know, she'll be spouting that same rubbish Asakura Yoh is always saying: 'Pailong is not a tool, he's my friend'." 

"Do you want me to go look for them, bocchama?" The red spirit flame asked, eager to please his master. 

"No. That would be pointless. They could be anywhere in Tokyo, and besides, she said she was coming home this evening, right? But mark my words, we're going to have a little talk when she gets home." 

"You sound like your father--" Bason started to say. He suddenly ended up smashed against the wall on the other side of the room. 

Ren had his hand poised in the air after he had struck Bason, his golden eyes burning with angry flames. 

"Don't you ever suggest that I am like that man ever again, do I make myself clear?" 

"Yes, bocchama," Bason said as he slowly slid to the floor. 

"Good," Ren lowered his hand and sighed. "I need something to eat. I get very cranky when I'm hungry." 

"No kidding," Bason said under his breath. He floated slowly toward the kitchen to watch what his master was doing. 

Ren rummaged around in the various cabinets and finally pulled out a bag of rice. He slapped it on the counter and stared at it. Bason looked from his master to the bag of rice, then back to his master again. 

"Well?" The mochirei asked in a futile attempt to be helpful. "Now what?" 

"I don't know." 

"Bocchama!" Tears streamed down Bason's face like twin waterfalls. "Don't you know how to cook?" 

"Well, let me think," Ren placed a finger on the side of his face in thought. "If I had a little deadly nightshade, I could make a very lovely poison, but then I'd be dead, now wouldn't I?" 

"At least you wouldn't be hungry anymore, bocchama!" 

"Baka!" Bason cowered beneath his master's angry glare. Ren slapped himself in the face. "Why couldn't my mother have taught me something useful?" 

"Just do what Miss Jun does, bocchama. You've seen her cook plenty of times, right?" 

"Actually" The boy stared at his feet in embarrassment. "I've never actually _seen_ her prepare the food. It's always ready when I walk in." 

"Bocchama" The spirit flame stared at his master sadly. 

"Never mind. I don't need to eat as long as I've got milk!" Ren grinned triumphantly and headed toward the fridge. "I can live off that stuff." 

He opened the fridge and he stared in utter horror at the empty bottle of milk sitting forlornly next to the orange juice and bottled water. 

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" 

"What is it, Miss Jun?" Pailong glanced at his master as she stood with her head cocked to one side, as if listening intently to something. 

"I'm sure I heard Ren-kun's voice that time," she looked over her shoulder toward the general direction of the burned-out Chinese restaurant. 

"You must be hearing things." Pailong placed a hand on her shoulder and began leading her away. "Besides, I'm sure he's just fine." 

"Yeah. You're right. I'm sure he'll be okay by himself for one day. He's rather mature for his age, you know?" 

"Actually, he seems a bit too serious," The tall man scratched his chin in thought. "He needs to relax and enjoy his childhood while he still has the chance." 

"I know. But _you_ try telling him that. He'd just say something like, 'you want me to act more like headphones boy? I think not'." 

Pailong chuckled. "That sounds like Ren all right." 

"Hey, what's this?" Jun walked toward a brightly colored poster tacked to the side of a brick building. 

"It looks like some kind of carnival," Pailong stood by her side and read the words printed boldly on the advertisement. 

_Come one, come all to the annual Carnival Takei! Experience the thrill and excitement of our breathtaking Midway Rides! Test your luck and skill with our fun carnival games! Do you have what it takes to win the prize? Come take a walk on the wild side and watch the amazing animal shows, performed behind bars for your own safety! If you're looking for fun and excitement, look no further than the Carnival Takei!_

"Wanna go?" Pailong asked. 

"What is a carnival?" Jun looked up at him with her innocent blue eyes. 

"Well, it's kind of like an amusement park, only smaller and it only stays in one place for a few days before moving somewhere else." 

"Oh! I see." She smiled sweetly, then added, "What's an amusement park?" 

Pailong stared at her, dumbfounded. 

"You don't know what an amusement park is?" 

"Nope." She smiled at him. "Should I?" 

"What the--? Haven't you ever heard of Disney Land?" He stood with his arms on her shoulders, eyes wide with shock. 

"Disney Land?" Jun tilted her head to one side in confusion. 

"Oh my God, you poor child," the martial artist bowed his head in defeat. "You've never heard of the happiest place on Earth?" 

"Uh-uh," Jun shook her head. 

Pailong spread his arms wide. "I can't believe this! Disney Land is one of the biggest amusement parks I've ever seen! I used to take my children there every summer, and they'd pitch a fit when I told them we had to go home." 

"So, it's supposed to be fun, I take it?" Jun placed a finger to her lips in thought. 

"That _would_ make sense, seeing as how they call it an _amusement_ park." Pailong folded his arms over his chest. Tao Jun was a wonderful woman, but she could be so naïve. 

"All right already," Jun frowned a little as his sarcasm. "You have to realize that I had never left the Tao Mansion, let alone China, until only recently." 

"I'm sorry, Miss Jun," he bowed his head apologetically. "I had forgotten how much your family had sheltered you from the outside world." 

"It's all right." She smiled at him. "Do you want to go?" 

"Of course! This is the perfect chance for you to experience some old-fashioned carnival fun. I know you'll love it." 

They took a bus and traveled somewhere toward the outskirts of the city. The air smelled fresher, cleaner than the air in the congested city. Pailong pointed to the window and Jun's blue eyes sparkled with wonder as they approached the fair grounds. As they disembarked, the girl stood dumbfounded as her senses were bombarded by the sheer number of sounds and smells emanating from the carnival. Her mochirei smiled at her reaction and gently led her toward the ticket vendor. 

"Two, please," Pailong announced as Jun suddenly became aware of her surroundings and began rummaging in her purse." 

"You're just in luck," the young man smiled as Jun handed him the money. "Today is 'Armband Day' so you can get on all the rides for free." 

"Really?" Jun clapped her hands together excitedly. 

"This really must be our lucky day," Pailong smiled as the ticket vendor placed a bright yellow armband on each of their wrists. "Now you'll be able to ride any of the rides without having to worry about tickets." 

They hurried through the front gates while Jun gazed in wonder at all the brightly colored vendors like a child in a candy store. She made little sounds of awe at each new sight and Pailong could only smile at her. He was glad that she was finally able to just sit back and enjoy life, for once. He could not imagine what sort of horrors she had endured in her childhood, but hopefully this would help her to forget such painful memories. 

"What's that?" She pointed excitedly at a cotton candy vendor busily twirling the fluffy pink confection onto sticks for the clambering children. 

"It's cotton candy, Miss Jun." 

"Is it any good?" 

"Oh, yes! You should try some. It's so sweet, it rots your teeth the moment it touches your lips!" Jun stared at him in horror. Realizing his mistake, he quickly added, "I mean, not really! It's just an expression." Jun raised her eyebrow, as if she didn't quite believe him. 

They waited in line until it was their turn. Jun gingerly took the stick, as if unsure of what to do with it. 

"Go on, just bite into it," Pailong waved his encouragement. 

Jun stood staring at it a moment longer before taking a tentative bite. Immediately, her eyes lit up and she took a bigger bite this time. 

"It's like eating a cloud," she giggled as a little stuck to her fingers and she licked it off. 

"It kind of is," Pailong took her arm and led her past the various carnival games. "I'd always get some for my kids. When it was time to leave, I'd buy a bag to take home, and then eat it all myself! My trainer would get so mad at me. He'd say, 'Pailong! If you keep stuffing your face with sweets, you're going to get fat! Then what'll we do?'" 

Jun snorted into her cotton candy as she tried to stifle her laughter. 

"What's so funny?" He smiled as she tried to lick off the cotton candy stuck to the end of her nose. 

"I didn't know you had such an insatiable sweet-tooth." She managed to get the last bit of pink fluff off her nose. 

"I know," he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "My trainer was always getting on my case because I'd sneak cookies and donuts on set and share them with my costars. He'd always tell me, 'Pailong, if you're going to ruin your diet regimen, that's fine. But don't drag the others down your candy-coated path to hell!' Then he'd make me do sit-ups for an hour straight." 

"He sounds very strict," Jun said, halfway done with her cotton candy. 

"You have _no_ idea," Pailong rolled his eyes skyward. "He was a total hard-ass, but he was really a good guy. If it weren't for him, I'd probably be wearing a beer-gut in all those movies!" 

"Sounds like a lot of hard work being a movie star." 

"You're telling me." 

Jun quickly finished the last bit of cotton candy fluff and tossed the stick in a nearby trash can. They wandered around aimlessly for a bit as carnies advertised their games and merchants hawked their wares. 

"Oh, look at the cute little goldfish!" Jun knelt down near a large pool teeming with multicolored fish. 

"Care to try your luck, Miss?" The old lady in a red yukata asked while holding up a tiny paddle. 

"What do I do?" 

"Take this bowl and this paddle and try to flip the fish into it. If you get it in, you can keep the fish." She demonstrated by holding the rice paper paddle poised above the water, like a heron waiting for its next meal. Quickly, the old woman flicked her wrist and a gold fish suddenly flew into the bowl, as if by magic. 

"That's amazing!" Jun stared wide-eyed at the old woman, impressed by her speed. Pailong knelt beside his master and watched as a little girl and her father struggled to flip a fish into their own little bowl. 

"Aw, it broke again," The little girl stared dejectedly at the hole in her rice paper paddle. 

"Here, we'll try one more time, but then we have to go home," the girl's father said as he paid the woman for another paddle. 

"Let's play, Pailong," Jun said as she handed the woman the money. 

"All right." He took a paddle and bowl and leaned over the rim of the pool, staring intently into the water. Jun did the same and waited until one of the fish swam close to the surface. 

"Take your time," the old woman smiled at seeing the anxious look on Jun's face. "No need to rush. This is a game of skill and dexterity. The calmer you are, the better chance you'll have of catching a fish." 

"Okay." She took a deep breath and concentrated on the task at hand. 

Suddenly, a beautiful black fish began gulping at the surface of the water, its scales glittering in the sun with an almost indigo sheen. Jun knew she _had_ to catch that one. She edged closer, trying not to scare the fish away before she could get the paddle in the water. Her paddle shot forward, catching the fish on it. It flopped around as she tried to bring her bowl closer, but the weight of the fish caused it to rip a hole in the paddle and it swam away. 

"Darn it," Jun snapped her fingers in frustration. "So close." 

"Try again?" The old woman held up another paddle. 

"Darn right! I'm gonna catch that fish if it's the last thing I do!" 

Jun paid the woman and took another paddle. She watched as Pailong continued to stare into the water, unmoving as a tortoise. Suddenly, a fished appeared in his bowl, but it didn't appear as if he had moved. 

"How'd you do that?" Jun gasped in amazement as Pailong held the bowl up with a dazzling jade green fish swimming in circles. "Have you played this game before?" 

"Nope." He smiled secretly. "But I find the same discipline I use in my martial arts can be applied here. See, it's all about speed and agility, right? If you keep the paddle in the water too long, or if the fish flaps heard enough, it will break. The key is to combine a series of simple motions into one fluid movement as quickly as possible. I'll show you one more time." 

He took another bowl and paddle and leaned close to the water once more. 

"First, get as close as you can without frightening the fish. Second, dip your paddle in the water and keep your bowl close by. Lastly, flip the fish in." 

He waited a moment and quickly flipped a little golden yellow fish into his bowl. 

"Got it? Now you try." 

Jun knelt down and poised her paddle near the water. Here eyes followed the glittering black fish, anticipating its every move. 

_Just take a deep breath and clear your mind,_ she thought to herself. _Don't be nervous. Take your time._

He hand trembled slightly. She closed her eyes and took a deep cleansing breath. 

"Now!" She flicked her wrist and the fish dropped into her bowl with a slight kerplop. 

"I did it! I did it!" She felt giddy, even though all she did was catch a little fish. But she set her mind to a task and she accomplished it. 

"Good job," the old woman said as she presented them with a plastic bag containing their three little fish. "I've never seen a beginner learn so quickly." 

"That was wonderful, Miss Jun." Pailong patted her shoulder in congratulations of her efforts. 

"They're so cute." Jun held up the bag to her face to get a better look at her aquatic friends. "Look at how the gold one guards the green one so closely." 

"Don't those fish remind you of someone?" Pailong nudged her with his elbow, a sly grin on his face. 

Jun giggled. "The green one is me, the black one is you, and the gold one is Ren-kun. My, he seems such a jealous little fish." 

"Aren't all little brothers? He only wants to protect his nee-san." He watched as the gold one continued to chase the black one off. He felt a pang of sympathy. Ren certainly showed no love to him, a kyonshii that had regained his freewill. Could Ren one day learn to trust Pailong with Jun's well-being, or would he forever glare hatefully him with those glittering golden eyes? 

"Daddy!" The cry awoke Pailong from his thoughts. "I wanna fishy!" 

"I'm sorry, but I told you only one more try, then we have to leave." 

The girl struggled against her father's hand clamped firmly, but gently on her wrist. 

"But I want a fishy! We never caught a fishy!" 

"We'll just have to try harder next time," the man said in calming tones as he began to lead the girl away. 

Pailong and Jun looked at the girl, then at their bag of fish, then at each other. They nodded once before standing. 

"Wait! Sir," Jun trotted forward and held the bag of fish out to him. "We'll be staying out for a long time, and the fish might die if they don't get put in a tank soon. Would you like to have them?" 

The girl's brown eyes widened and she gasped with delight. She held her little hands outstretched, ready to receive the fish. 

"Well, all right. If you don't want them, we'll be glad to take them home with us." 

"Will you promise to take good care of them?" Jun asked as she knelt and handed the bag to the girl. 

"Oh, yes! I've had fishies before, and I took real good care of 'em." She gently clutched the bag to her chest. "These are such purdee fishies. I won't let anything happen to them." 

"That's good to know." 

"Honey, say thank you to the nice young lady," he shook his the girl's shoulder. 

"Thank you, purdee lady," she bowed to her and took her father's hand. "Bye-bye!" 

Jun waved to them and smiled. 

"Children give you such a warm fuzzy feeling, right here, don't they?" Pailong said as he placed his hand on his chest. 

"She was such a sweet kid," Jun sighed. "Well, what now? Play some more games?" 

"Why not?" The tall man shrugged his broad shoulders and they made their way deeper into the carnival. 

They played various games, like the ring toss, darts, Whack-a-Mole, ski ball, and so many others, Jun could barely remember them all. Pailong had managed to win a large stuffed tiger toy for Jun after ringing the bell on the "Test of Strength" game. He felt embarrassed by the excited whispers following him after he lifted the huge hammer, like it was nothing, and brought it down so hard on the pedal, that he was afraid the dinger would shoot right through the bell and into orbit. 

"That was amazing!" Jun praised him as she attached an adorable panda key chain to her set of keys. "The dinger shot up so fast, I could barely follow it." She glanced at him slyly out of the corner of her eye. "I think maybe you had an unfair advantage over those other people." 

"Hey, you said you wanted the tiger, so I got it for you," he grinned as he carried it over one shoulder. 

"I said, 'It's so cute, it reminds me of Ren-kun's old stuffed tiger'. I didn't say I wanted it. It's so _big_. Where will I put it?" 

"You can keep it on your bed and lay on it like a pillow. A big fuzzy, cuddly pillow." 

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe _you_ can keep it and cuddle with it in your coffin." 

"Well, maybe I will, since you don't want it." He grinned evilly. 

Jun laughed out loud. "I just got this hilarious image in my head of you curled up with the tiger and sucking your thumb like a little kid." 

"Maybe I don't want it, after all" 

"We'll find something to do with it. I wouldn't want you to carry it around all day for nothing." 

The two were suddenly stopped in their tracks by a the sound of someone crying. Pailong turned around to notice a little boy squatting on the ground, his tiny hands balled into fists at his eyes as tears streamed freely down his cheeks. 

"What's the matter, kid?" Pailong towered over the sobbing child, a look of concern of his face. 

The boy sniffed and looked up to see a giant of a man standing before him. He gasped and began to back away in fright. 

"Wait, don't run off," Jun's dulcet tones quickly alleviated the boy's fears and he took a tentative step forward, hands twisting in front of him. 

"Why are you crying?" Jun knelt, as did Pailong, and she offered a tissue to him from her purse. 

The boy took it and wiped his nose. "I lost my mommy," he managed to choke out as fresh tears streamed down his cheeks once more. 

"What's your name?" Jun asked as she dabbed at his eyes with a fresh tissue. 

"Genki," he hiccuped slightly. "Who're you?" 

"My name's Jun," she placed a hand on her breast, "and this is my friend, Pailong." She waved at the taller man. "Would you like us to help you find your mother?" 

"Yes." Genki sniffed and wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his red sweater. 

"What's your mother's name?" Jun asked. 

He thought for a moment, then said, "Mommy." 

Jun and Pailong glanced nervously at one another. 

"Can you tell us what she looks like?" Pailong asked softly, aware that his mere presence had frightened the boy once before. 

"She's got long brown hair and she's wearing a black dress with red flowers on it." 

"Take my hand and we'll help you find her, okay?" Jun extended her hand as Genki hesitantly placed his small hand in her own. 

"You're hand feels very soft, Jun-san," the boy said. 

Jun laughed. "Why, thank you." 

The three wandered around as Pailong and Jun asked several vendors and passerby if they had seen the boy's mother. Many rushed past them without a word, and those polite enough to stop and talk could give no helpful answer. 

"We'll never find mommy now," Genki sniffed and seemed if he would start crying again. 

Pailong gasped as an epiphany hit him so quickly, you could almost see the light bulb flash over his head. 

"Miss Jun, hold this for me, would you?" He pressed the tiger toy into her hands, then turned toward the boy. "Do you think you could pick your mother out of the crowd?" 

"Uh-huh," Genki nodded. "But I can't see nothing down here." 

"I'll put you on my shoulders, then you can see above the crowd, okay?" 

"All right," the boy said nervously as Pailong grasped under the arms and lifted the boy onto his broad shoulder. The boy giggled with glee as he said, "Gee, Mister; you're really tall!" 

"Can you see her yet?" Pailong tilted his head slightly to look at the boy while Jun stifled a laugh behind her hand. 

"Not yet" The boy shaded his eyes against the sun. "Mommy? Mommy! Where are you?" 

They walked around in this manner for a few moments before a shout went up from the crowd, "Genki? Genki, is that you?" 

"Over here, Mommy!" The boy laughed and waved at her. 

"Genki! Thank God you're okay!" Pailong lifted the boy off his shoulders and placed him into the waiting arms of his mother. "I was so worried about you. I told you to hold my hand the whole time." 

"I'm sorry, Mommy," she boy buried his face in his mother's breast, overcome with joy. "I won't ever do it again. I promise." 

"Thank you so much for finding my son." The woman set her child down and bowed low to both of them. "I looked everywhere and even had the security guards looking for him. I was afraid that he'd gotten kidnapped." 

"We're glad to see he's found his mother," Jun smiled as brightly as the jade jewelry she was wearing. 

"If there's anything I can do to repay you--" the woman started, but Pailong shook his head gently. 

"There's no need. We're happy enough knowing Genki's safe." 

"Here," Jun held the large tiger toy outward as Genki's eyes sparkled with delight. "I want you to have this." 

"Really? For me?" He squeaked, unable to believe their generosity. 

"You've had a long day, I'm sure. This should help you to end it on a brighter note." 

"Thank you, Jun-san," the boy bowed his head and took the stuffed tiger from her. He staggered slightly as it was nearly as large as him. "Can we go home now, Mommy?" 

"All right. And again, thank you so much for finding him." 

"No problem," Pailong grinned. 

"The world would be a much better place if there were more people like you," the woman smiled as she turned and walked away from them. 

"Good bye!" Genki waved on last time before he and his mother were swallowed by the crowd. 

"You know, I could get used to this," Jun smiled as she leaned on Pailong's shoulder. 

"As the old saying goes, 'what goes around, comes around'." 

"You think this is karma at work?" 

"Maybe." Pailong stood staring at the sky for a moment before turning toward Jun. "Let's hurry and ride some of the rides before it gets too late!" 

"All right. What do you want to go on first?" 

"How about the roller coaster?" Pailong grinned as they headed toward the Midway. "I'm sure you'll love it, Miss Jun." 

Sorry I was so late updating, but I've been practicing for the Metrocon Anime Human Chess Match and working on filling out job applications. Oi! It sucks not having money. Anyhoo, I meant for the carnival to be all in one chapter, but it was getting a bit long, so I had to cut it in half. I promise you'll get to see the roller coaster next time. Also, here's where things start heating up for Ren and Bason as they try to figure out how to use the rice-steamer. 

On a minor note: I may be late updating again because I'll be in Ocala working on some cosplay stuff for Metrocon with my granny. Anna and Jun (Shaman King) and Sakura (Naruto). If any of you are going to Metrocon this year, e-mail me and maybe we can hand out! 


	5. Demonic Kitchen Appliances and the Rolle...

Yeah, more reviews coming in! Glad to know so many people are actually sticking around to read the whole thing. Anyway, while I was in Ocala, I went into this secondhand book store and found an old copy of "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story" and I read the whole thing in two days. It was so sad, but what really freaked me out was the fact that many of the ideas I had for Pailong's past and personality were eerily similar to stuff in the book, and this is my first time reading it! Bruce Lee really did have a bit of a sweet-tooth and he did wear shades and a leather jacket sometimes. Anyway, enough of that, on with Chapter Five! Poor starving Ren-kun… 

**Chapter Five: Demonic Kitchen Appliances and the Roller Coaster from Hell**

Ren had finally resigned himself to his fate and lay stretched out on the couch, his arm thrown over his face in a pathetic attempt to block out the reality that there was not a drop of milk to be found in the house. Not even a box of evaporated milk. 

"Three hours and thirty-three minutes." He peeked at the wall clock from beneath his arm. "This is it. This is really the end. I'm going to starve to death. What a pathetic way to die." 

"Bocchama!" Bason floated toward his master, deeply concerned by his sudden change in demeanor. "You can't mean that!" 

"I can't believe it. I, the illustrious heir to the Tao Family, am going to slowly wither away with hunger! And it's all nee-san's fault!" 

He moaned softly as his stomach growled loudly. He placed on hand on top of it to calm it down. 

"I had expected to die gloriously in battle; struck down by a worthy opponent. Not like this… I'll soon be a ghost, like you, within a few hours." 

"Bocchama, it takes at least a week before one could die of starvation. You've only been without food for three hours and thirty-five minutes." 

"She could have at least had the decency to leave me _something_!" He flung his arm from his face and glared at the ceiling. "Some coffee and a bowl of rice, or some chow mein. Some fresh peaches, at the very least! When's the last time anyone went shopping?" 

"Perhaps you could go down to the store and buy something to eat, bocchama?" Bason suggested, trying his best to be patient with his young master. It annoyed him to no end when Bocchama refused to take any of his advise, especially when he knew it was good advise. 

"Can't you see I'm too weak to even stand?" Ren turned his face toward the red spirit flame. "Look at me! Nothing but skin and bones. You can already see my ribs poking through." He opened his shirt and ran a hand down his side for emphasis. 

The spirit flame squinted his eyes as he closely inspected his master's physique. "Your ribs are showing because you are stretching yourself out, bocchama. I really think you are being a bit overly dramatic--" 

"I SAID I'M DYING! WHY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT?" He sat bolt upright, his eyes glittering with a feral light. The boy's stomach roared in protest and he quickly slumped down onto the couch once more. "Nee-san, how cruel of you to tell me to help myself to the pantry and then leave me nothing to eat." 

"But bocchama! There is plenty of food in the pantry--" Bason started to say, but was quickly cut off. 

"Nothing I can eat out of the bag! Everything has to be cooked, and I haven't the foggiest idea how to prepare anything." 

Bason's face remained passive, but his thoughts boiled with impatience. _Bocchama is being exceedingly difficult today, more so than usual. I've never seen such a lazy child before, and so unimaginative. He would never have survived if he lived during my time._

Sighing, Bason said slowly, "Then perhaps you should order take-out. Then you wouldn't even have to leave the house." 

The Chinese shaman stared at his mochirei with nothing less than utter disgust. He looked down upon Bason, as if he were lower than a cockroach. 

"How _dare_ you suggest such a thing?" His lips curled into a hateful sneer. "You know these stupid Japanese cannot possibly recreate the subtle and rich flavor of true Chinese cuisine. If there's anything I hate worse than non-Chinese food, it's bad Chinese take-out." 

Bason flinched under his master's gaze, as if Ren had physically struck him. He had served his master faithfully for ten long years, and had endured his insults and his punishments gracefully and silently, but this pathetic whining was beginning to get on his nerves. He had suggested plenty of viable options, and Ren refused to acknowledge any one of them. 

Unable to take it anymore, the spirit flame was engulfed in a cloud of red vapor and emerged as a fully armored Chinese warlord. Bason's red eyes were narrowed to dangerous slits as he folded his arms over his barrel chest. 

"Bocchama," his deep voice echoed across the room while Ren stared at him in utter shock. "I am your loyal mochirei, but enough is enough. Stop wasting your breath complaining about your hunger and _do_ something about it! If you do not know how to cook, then why don't you look through one of Jun-san's cookbooks and teach yourself? If there is one thing I learned in life, it is this: you have to work for what you want. You are a man now, and you cannot always depend on others to do things for you." 

Bason took a deep breath and let it all out in a whoosh. He stared at his master, surprised by the impact his words had on him. Ren's golden eyes were widened in shock at his mochirei's sudden outburst of emotion. Never before had Bason actually _told_ him do something. Ren felt a grain of anger eating at him as he watched the black-armored warlord vanish in a cloud of smoke to reveal the small spirit flame once more. 

"How dare you order me to do anything?" Ren quickly backhanded his ghost companion, appalled at his rebellious remark. Bason stared at him with teary eyes, quickly resuming his passive attitude as a servant once more. "I should punish you severely for your insolence." 

"Forgive me, bocchama." Bason lowered his eyes in shame. "I do not know what came over me. It's just that I cannot bear to see you in this state. I was only trying to help." 

For a moment, the boy's face softened at his mochirei's concern for him. Though he hated to admit it, Bason's words rang true. Jun would not always be there for him, and he would have to learn to fend for himself eventually. And since there was no better time than the present… 

"I concede. You do have a point," Ren admitted begrudgingly, his arms folded over his chest. "If I'm going to become the Shaman King, then I must be able to rely solely on my own abilities. And if that means that I must learn to cook, then I'll teach myself, even if it kills me!" 

"That's the spirit, bocchama!" Bason was happy to see the energy returning to his master. 

Ren quickly got to his feet and clenched his fists in front of him. "I refuse to admit defeat! A Tao never wavers, even in the face of adversity. This will be my greatest challenge. I vow I will dine on a meal of my own making by tonight, or surely I will die trying!" 

The young shaman marched purposefully toward the kitchen and ripped a book off the nearby shelf and slammed it onto the counter. He stared at the bright yellow book with the words "Chinese Cooking Made Easy" etched on the cover in red ink. He quickly flipped through and found a simple recipe for preparing white rice and steamed vegetables. 

"Very well. I'm sure I could start out on something more elegant, but perhaps it's best if I whet my appetite with something simple first." Ren tried to hide his doubt behind an arrogant remark. He was daunted by even this supposedly easy recipe, but he would never allow himself to reveal any weakness. 

"Let's see…" Ren ran his finger down the list of ingredients as Bason hovered over his shoulder in curiosity. "One pound of rice, some carrots, broccoli, green beans, water chestnuts… A tisp of salt…?" He reread through the instructions, thinking perhaps he misread something. "What's a 'tisp'?" 

"What's that, bocchama?" Bason floated closer to the book. 

"It say's right here." He stabbed at the page angrily with his finger. "One tsp. of salt." 

"I believe that's an abbreviation for _teaspoon_, bocchama." The spirit flame smiled to himself at Ren's naïveté. Despite what he'd like to believe, Ren was still just a child and just as new to the world as Jun. 

"Uh, of course! I knew that." The boy smiled arrogantly. "I was just testing you, to see if you knew." 

"Of course, bocchama." Bason shook his head. 

"All right then. Let's see if we can't get this rice cooking now." Ren hurried toward the cabinet but found he was far too short to reach the handle above his head. Growling in frustration, he clambered onto the counter, his heels hanging an inch off the edge. Bason stared in worry as his young master opened the cabinet and pulled a large rice-steamer out, swaying backward slightly as he struggled to maintain his equilibrium. Ren slammed the cabinet door closed with his elbow and slowly climbed down from the counter, the rice-steamer clutched tightly in his small arms. 

Bason was startled as Ren slammed the metal rice-steamer on to the counter and plugged it into the wall outlet. 

"Let's see here," he skimmed through the directions again. "Pour in one pound of rice into rice-steamer with six cups of water. Set to medium temperature and let steam for half an hour." 

He stared at the bag of rice, then at he rice-streamer, then back to the bag of rice. 

"Thirty minutes? For one measly bag of rice? That's far too long, and I'm hungry now!" 

Ren rummaged in the cabinets and pulled out two more bags of rice. He ripped them open with his teeth and began to pour the contents into the pot. 

"Bocchama! What are you doing?" Bason glided nervously to his master's side. 

"I'm tired and I've been starving for the better part of three hours! I'll just fill it up with water, set it to high, and it'll be done in five minutes. I'll be eating in no time!" Ren smiled at his own genius as he began pouring water into the metal pot, its contents nearly overflowing. 

"Bocchama," Bason glanced nervously at the overfilled rice-steamer as Ren turned the dial all the way to the right. "I don't think that's such a good idea. Streaming implies that the contents will be under pressure--" 

"Silence!" Ren glared at the red spirit flame as he picked up a carrot and a knife and began clumsily peeling it. "I know what I'm doing. I'm in a bad mood right now, and the sooner I eat something, the sooner I'll be more agreeable. That's what you want, don't you?" 

"Of course, bocchama, but I really think you should--" 

"I said that's enough out of you." Ren flicked his ghost companion into the living room where the hapless ghost landed on the couch in a heap. "This cooking thing is going to be a snap. I don't see why I never tried it before. I'm a natural." He smiled smugly as he sliced into his thumb with the knife. 

"Kisama!" Ren dropped the carrot and stuck his injured thumb in his mouth. 

"What happened, bocchama?" Bason floated to his master's side immediately upon hearing his curse. 

"I cut myself with the stupid knife," he removed his thumb and watched as blood began to well up again. He promptly stuck it back into his mouth and sucked on it, wincing at the pain. 

"You should cut away from yourself, never toward, bocchama," Bason offered that pearl of wisdom belatedly. 

"You could have told me that sooner," Ren glared at him out of the corner of his eye. 

Suddenly, his attention was arrested by the sound of metal striking metal. He turned toward the rice-streamer and his eyes grew round with fear as he saw the lid bouncing up and down, like a pair of castanets, as water and grains of rice sloshed over the side of the pot. 

"It's overflowing, bocchama!" Bason wore a similar expression on his face. 

"I can see that, baka!" The pain in his thumb temporarily forgotten, Ren dashed forward and clamped his hands down on top of the lid. He screeched in pain and quickly removed them, forgetting that the pot was extremely hot. He gazed at his palms, the flesh slightly pink where his hands had come in contact with the hot metal. Pulling on a pair of oven mitts, his forced the lid down once more, unwilling to admit defeat to the demonic kitchen appliance. 

"You're going to cook my food, damn it!" He leaned forward, using his body weight to hold the struggling lid down on the pot. 

"Bocchama! It's too dangerous," Bason couldn't keep the note of panic out of his voice. "Get away from there, now!" 

"I won't give up." Sweat was beading on the young shaman's brow as he continued to battle against the rice-streamer. "I'm going to cook this meal, even if it kills me." 

"And that may very well happen if you don't duck and cover, bocchama." Bason raced to his master's side. "The contents are under pressure. Steam is trapped inside. If it can't find an escape, it will create one!" 

"Over my dead body…" Ren was cut off as he became aware of the pressure building beneath his palms. He struggled with all his might to keep the lid on. Just a few more minutes and his food would finally be ready. He could almost taste it on his lips… 

"Bocchama! It's going to blow!" Bason had no choice. It was his master's life they were dealing with, and he'd be damned if he allowed anything to happen to his master. 

The red spirit flame closed his eyes and whizzed forward into his master's back, integrating with the young shaman and taking control of his body. Surprised at the sudden presence of his mochirei inside his body, Ren's body quickly leaped backward of its own accord as the rice-streamer suddenly exploded, sending scalding water and bits of rice shrapnel everywhere. Ren's body hit the floor and continued to roll several feet as water and rice trailed after him. Coming to a stop, the Chinese shaman sat up as his spirit companion left his body. 

"What the hell did you do that for?" Ren exploded almost as violently as the rice-streamer. 

"If you had stayed there a moment longer, you could have--" Bason choked on his words, tears welling in his eyes. Suddenly, he flew into his master's arms and buried his face in Ren's black silk shirt. "Oh, bocchama! I was afraid I was going to lose you." 

"What a stupid thing to say, Bason," Ren frowned at his mochirei, but he couldn't help feeling a twinge of gratitude toward the red spirit flame nestled close to his heart. 

Ren lifted his gaze from his mochirei to the rest of the house and he felt his jaw slam to the floor. He tried to scream, but his voice got lost somewhere along the way. It was a scene from a nightmare. Water pooled on the white linoleum of the kitchen and stained the red carpet a deeper shade of crimson, like blood on a battlefield. Clumps of rice lay scattered on the floor, clung to the walls, dangled from the curtains, even hung from the ceiling. The disaster zone spread from the kitchen all the way to the far wall of the living room. 

"If I don't die of hunger in the next few hours," Ren said as he gulped audibly. "Nee-san will surly get the job done when she gets home…" 

"Then you'd better start cleaning up, bocchama." Bason looked sadly at his master as Ren trudged to the kitchen and emerged with a shiny red bowl and a pair of chopsticks. On hands and knees, Ren set himself to the arduous task of picking each and every grain of rice up with the chopsticks and dropping it into the bowl. He winced every now and then at pain in his tender hands, but he continued to persevere, his stomach rumbling audibly the entire time. 

Jun stopped in her tracks as a violent sneeze shook her entire body. She rubbed at her nose with one finger. 

"Bless you, Miss Jun," Pailong turned to her as she stood rubbing at her nose. 

"That's strange. Someone must be saying bad things about me," she shook her and took a deep breath. 

"Why would anyone do that?" The tall martial artist frowned. 

"I don't know." She shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well, let's keep going. Is this roller coaster you keep telling me about very far off?" 

"We should be getting closer. I can hear it in the distance." 

"Hear it? What exactly _is_ a roller coaster, anyway?" Jun asked, her lovely head tilted to one side in confusion. 

"You'll see," he grinned from ear to ear. "It's the best kind of ride to go on. You'll have so much fun, I just know it." 

"If you say so." She smiled. She trusted her mochirei with her life and knew that he would never let anything happen to her. 

When they finally reached the roller coaster, Jun's faith in Pailong began to waver. She tilted her head back to take in the horrific sight. Miles of twisted blue steel stretched across the horizon, the piercing screech of metal sliding against metal deafened her. She watched as a shuttle, resembling an opened up subway car, hurtled at breakneck speed across the tracks, the screams of its passengers went up in a paean of terror, reminding her of the tortured screams she heard in the dungeon deep within the Tao Manor. 

"Doesn't that look like fun?" Pailong was grinning madly, almost insanely. Jun's eyes widened in sheer terror. Did he really think that such a hideous torture device could possibly be fun? Surely he wouldn't think of taking her on such an obviously dangerous machine, would he? 

"That's supposed to be the roller coaster?" Jun asked, her knees trembling beneath her. 

"Of course! What did you expect?" 

"I don't know, but certainly not this…" 

"Are you scared?" Pailong's face softened as a look of concern entered his dark eyes. 

"That," she stabbed her finger at the horrendous machination, "is _not_ fun! Those people are terrified!" 

"That's the point." He took her hands and smiled at her reassuringly. "It's fun to get scared." 

"Maybe in your twisted little world, but certainly not mine!" 

"This ride is perfectly safe." Pailong pointed to a crowd of people exiting the ride, their hair tousled, but looking none the worse for wear. 

"That was totally awesome! I thought I was gonna piss myself!" One of the young men laughed to his friends. 

"Yeah, I nearly threw-up. That was the best ride _ever_!" A girl grinned at him. 

"Let's get in line and ride it again!" A child, no older than twelve, said to his fellows. 

"See? It's perfectly harmless." Pailong stared into his master's sapphire eyes. "Would I really allow anything bad to happen to you?" 

"No…" Jun stared at her shoes in shame. 

"Then let's get in line and get on!" 

Jun slipped her hands from his grasp and backed away nervously. Despite his reassurance, she was still terrified. 

"Um… you go on. I'll wait here for you." She clasped her hands neatly in front of her, to keep them from trembling, and smiled sweetly at him. 

"But Miss Jun, I want you to come with me." 

"I really don't think I should," she shook her head quickly. "You go on and have fun." 

"But I don't want to leave you behind." She stared into his large puppy-eyes and felt her resolve weaken. "I you don't want to ride, then I won't ride." 

"But this is your special day and I want you to have fun!" Jun waved him on reassuringly. "I'll be fine. You go on ahead." 

"No…" He sighed, disappointment etched onto his face. "Let's do something else then." 

Jun gazed at him softly, feeling ashamed of herself for spoiling Pailong's fun. This _was_ his birthday, and she promised to make it the most special he'd ever experienced. She gazed once more at the gargantuan ride and gulped audibly. It was just a silly ride, wasn't it? If riding with Pailong would make him happy, then she'd just have to swallow her fear and get it over with. 

"All right," she sighed heavily, resigned to her fate. "I'll go with you." 

"You really mean it?" His eyes lit up immediately. "You're not just saying that, are you? If you really don't feel comfortable getting on, then we can do something else." 

"No, no! I want to ride with you," she put on her best smile to mask her fear. "If you say it's fun, then it must be." 

"You're sure about this?" 

"Yes! Now come on, before the line gets any longer." 

She dragged him away before her reasonable side would get the better of her. Pailong grinned at her courage, confidant that once she experienced the thrill of a roller coaster that she'd feel silly at being so afraid of it before. 

After half an hour of standing in line, it was finally their turn to get on. An attendant seated them in the very front and began to strap them in. A large steel bar lowered over their heads and clicked onto their laps. Jun felt her earlier confidence wavering; she could feel her pulse beginning to beat more rapidly. 

"Ma'am, you're likely to lose that hat. Would you like me to hold onto it for you?" 

"Yes please," Jun smiled nervously and handed her hat to the attendant. "Actually, I think I should go get something to eat. Wouldn't want to ride on an empty stomach, eh?" 

"I'd advise against that." The attendant smiled sweetly while waving a signal to start the ride. 

"This will be fun, Miss Jun," Pailong smiled and touched her hand for reassurance. "You can hold my hand, if you want." 

"I'm fine!" She said, a bit too quickly. Her breathing was becoming more rapid as the sounds of grinding wheels screeched and the cars began moving forward. "Actually, I've changed my mind! I want off! Stop the ride! Let me out!" 

"It's too late for that, Miss Jun," Pailong laughed, not unkindly. "It'll all be over before you know it. Just sit back and relax!" 

_Easy for you to say,_ Jun stared wide-eyed straight ahead as the cars began crawling forward at a steep incline. She grasped the lap bar in front of her in a white-knuckled grip, feeling as though she would fall from her seat before the ride had even begun. She would be lucky if that happened. 

The cars stopped for a moment at the top of the hill and it was then that Jun finally realized the extent of her mistake. Teetering over the edge at least a hundred feet in the air, she felt as though she were perched atop a mountain. Her blue eyes nearly bulged out of her head when she realized that the tracks were leading straight down into the ground. 

"Get me off! Get me off!" She shook her head wildly, her breath coming in wheezing gasps. "I don't want to ride anymore!" 

"It's all right! You're going to be just fine!" Pailong raised his voice to be heard over the clamoring of the passengers behind them. 

"No I'm noooooooooot!" Jun screamed in terror as the car finally rolled over the edge of the hill and sped ever closer to the ground below. Pailong threw his arms in the air and howled with delight. The sounds of screeching metal and terrified screams mingled with various whoops and hollers. Jun's scream rose an entire octave higher as the car drew ever closer toward the ground. 

"Miss Jun! Put your hands up!" Pailong smiled with delight, completely oblivious to her screams of terror. 

The girl locked her elbows and sat stock stiff, her hands gripping the bar so tightly her tendons were showing. 

"We're gonna die! We're gonna die! We're gonna die! We're gonna die! We're gonna die!" She chanted over and over again like some sort of mantra. 

Jun braced herself, cursing Pailong for tricking her into getting on this obscene device of human torture, knowing that in just a few moments the car was going to slam into the ground and they would all die. Before the car could hit the ground, it suddenly turned upward and hurtled toward the right, causing the Jun to slid toward the left side of the car and Pailong to lean closer toward her. The car turned sharply toward the left, and then began to slow down as they began to climb another steep incline. She managed to turn her head slightly to find Pailong staring straight ahead at their doom to come, grinning like an idiot. 

Before she could voice her opinion of him at the moment, the car fell over the edge once more and Jun was forced to stare ahead in terror once more, at the mercy of the evil roller coaster. Her screams drowned out the others as the car hurtled forward around sharp curves, the car turning completely sideways at one point. Suddenly, Jun saw the tracks curve upward before her and she was quickly silenced in awe of seeing nothing but blue sky beneath her feet. The car exited the loop and the sky and ground were in their proper places once more. Once more, the car slowed and trundled up the steep incline. 

"This is it!" Pailong shouted over the screams of the crowd. "The last big drop before the end! Brace yourself!" 

_That's what I've been doing the entire time, you big jerk!_ Jun nearly felt tears spring to her eyes. Pailong did a terrible thing, and she'd have a word with him, if she managed to survive this brush with death. 

The car zoomed over the edge once more and Jun's screams rose in octave as the roller coaster followed three loops in a row and a few more twists and turns before finally slowing down and entering the loading station once more. 

"Ah! That was the best ride _ever_! Wasn't that fun, Miss Jun?" Pailong finally turned to look at her and his face lost any semblance of joy. Tao Jun's face had become as pale as snow, her sapphire eyes round with fear. She could no longer bring herself to scream anymore, her throat raw, her mind in shock. She continued to grip the bar in front of her as if her life depended on it. 

"Miss Jun, it's over now. You can let go." Pailong laughed nervously, but his master remained frozen, as if she had been turned into a statue. The attendant came by to unstrap the passengers, but were having difficulties with the green haired Chinese girl. 

"Ma'am, you have to let go of the bar, all right?" One of the male attendants, the one who had been holding her hat, calmly said. 

"Is she okay?" A female attendant waved a hand in front of her face, but the girl's blue eyes refused to follow it. 

"Damn, she's strong! I can't loosen her grip." The male attendant struggled to pry her fingers loose from the bar. 

"Is she in shock?" 

"Sir, she's your girl friend, right? Maybe you can help," the male attendant helped Pailong out of his seat as he strode quickly toward Miss Jun's side. 

"Miss Jun!" Pailong stared into her emotionless eyes, fear gripping his heart. What had he done to his master? He never realized she would take it so badly. Would she remain like this, a frozen statue, forever? 

He laid his hands on her own and stared into her eyes, pleading for her to look at him. His cold touch sent a shiver through her entire body and she slowly turned her head to gaze at him. 

"Miss Jun!" Pailong cried in joy, but seeing his master's eye narrow dangerously, he was quickly silenced. Next thing he knew, he felt a sharp crack on his right cheek, and he saw Jun sitting there, tears welling in her sapphire eyes. 

"I hate you, Pailong!" Her fists were balled in front of her. "How dare you trick me, saying this was supposed to be fun? I was terrified!" 

She pushed her hand against his chest, refusing his offered hand for assistance, and struggled out of the car. Her knees buckling beneath her, she quickly fell to the wooden floor. 

"Miss Jun," Pailong called to her and ran quickly to her side. He kneeled and offered his hand, but a piercing glare forced him to take it back. She slowly got to her feet, gripping a guard rail for support while she struggled to keep her feet beneath her. The male attendant offered his assistance as well, but she brushed him away after snatching her hat from him, too infuriated with her mochirei to offer any words of civility. Pailong sighed and slowly followed his master as she wobbled away. 

"Miss Jun, I'm sorry." He apologized weakly as he stared at the back of her head, as he had done so many times before. Her hair was tousled by the wind, and she leaned heavily on the guard rail. She turned to look at him, her eyes blazing with fury, her face colored a sickly shade of pale green. 

"You should be!" She leaned forward slightly, sweat beading on her brow. "I…" She was about to say 'I hate you', but it came out as, "I think I'm going to be sick…" 

She staggered to a nearby trash can and promptly began to vomit. Pailong followed her obediently and gently pulled back her hair away from her face. He stood there, towering over her, and gently rubbed her back with one hand while glaring at anyone who gave them the slightest look. 

_I'm such a baka!_ He closed his eyes and frowned to himself as Jun continued to purge the contents of her stomach. _I should have known better. Miss Jun's never been on a roller coaster, let alone an amusement park; I should have known this would happen! I've been a terrible mochirei… All I wanted was for her to have fun, and I had to go and screw it up._

Jun finally lifted her head up, the color slowly returning to her cheeks. It seemed she had managed to purge herself of her anger as well, for when she looked up at her mochirei, she had only sympathy in her eyes. 

"Feeling better?" Pailong asked, for lack of anything better to say. 

"Yes," Jun heaved a great sigh, "but I have this nasty taste in my mouth." 

Pailong leaned heavily against a wall as Miss Jun flushed her mouth out at a nearby water fountain. He was too ashamed to look at her, too angry at his own stupidity to say anything. 

"Pailong," she said softly. "I'm sorry, for slapping you earlier." 

"I deserved it," he stared at her earnestly, eager to make amends. "I should never have forced you to come with me." 

She shook her head gently. "You didn't force me. I wanted to come." 

"Only because I asked you to!" The tall martial artist stared at his clenched fist in anger. "I only wanted you to have a little fun, and look what happened. I was selfish--" 

"No you weren't." He looked down to see Jun touching his hand, smiling softly at him. "This _is_ your special day, after all. And to tell you the truth," she blushed a little, "now that I'm safely on the ground, I think the roller coaster _was_ fun. I just don't think I'll be riding it again anytime soon." 

"Really?" Pailong's dark eyes sparkled with delight. 

"Yeah! That loop thing was pretty cool. Seeing nothing but the clear blue sky beneath your feet, it's a bit awe-inspiring, you know what I mean?" 

"I guess so," he smiled and scratched the back of his head. "Had enough fun at the carnival for one day?" 

"I'll say," she sighed. "Let's go to the park for a while and rest a bit. I'm starting to get hungry now." 

"I'll bet, after all that throwing up!" He laughed nervously. "You ever notice how vomit tastes like pizza and orange juice mixed together?" 

Jun stared blankly at him for a moment. 

"Eh…" He scratched his head nervously. "Never mind." 

"You really do say some strange things, Pailong." Jun cocked her eyebrow at him in confusion. "But that's what makes you so endearing." 

All right! Things are gonna start getting exciting now! Ren's cooking exploits are only just beginning, and Jun's and Pailong's love for one another is starting to blossom. There will be some ass-kicking action coming up very soon, but I may have to change the rating to PG-13 for violence and mild cursing, just to be safe. Pailong will be kicking punk-ass thugs around, and Ren-kun while be kicking Bason and demonic kitchen appliances around. By the way, about Jun's sneeze; the Japanese believe if you sneeze really hard for no reason, it means someone is talking behind your back. Ren wasn't saying really nice things about his sister, now was he? He gets _very_ cranky when he's hungry.


	6. Peaches and Cream

Hey everybody! Been working on my "Shaman King" cosplay, listening to "Northern Lights" all day long. God, I love that song! It gave me chills the first time I listened to it. Why did the Fox Box have to cut it out, damn it! Please, someone e-mail me with information on any licensed subtitled DVDs! Anyway, on a minor note, Ren's favorite food is peaches. I haven't seen much evidence in the Anime, but it's certainly there in the manga. Anyway, on with chapter six! Yay! We're halfway done now! 

**Chapter Six: Peaches and Cream**

After two long hours, Ren had finally extricated every single grain of rice from the carpet. He picked them off the curtains and the walls without too much difficulty, either, but it was the ceiling that caused his already sour mood to take a turn for the worse. 

"Kisama!" Ren dumped the last bowl of rice into the trash can. "All that work and not a single edible grain of rice!" He threw his bowl and chopsticks in the sink and turned his ire toward the rice-steamer, still wet and covered with rice after the earlier fiasco. 

"You!" The boy's eye twitched slightly in fury. "Look at you sitting there, mocking me with your very presence. I'll show you!" 

"Bocchama!" Bason trailed after his master as the Chinese shaman stalked toward the rice-steamer. "What are you doing?" 

Ren seemed to hear not a word of his mochirei's urgent question. Wrapping his arms around the huge pot, he took a running start toward the window and hurled it as far as he could. 

"Ahahahahaha! Take that, you stupid piece of crap!" Ren laughed hysterically as he watched the rice-steamer sail through the air and land on the sidewalk, nearly striking an innocent pedestrian during its descent. "Go back to hell where you belong, demon!" 

He continued to cackle as the rice-streamer bounced a few more times before rolling across the street and settling itself near a pile of garbage. The poor young man, who had nearly been killed by a falling kitchen appliance, looked upward, expecting to see some angry housewife throwing her husband's belongings out the window in a lover's spat. He couldn't have been more wrong. He was surprised to find a boy hanging precariously out of the second story window of the burned-out Chinese restaurant, cursing loudly. 

"That's right!" Ren leaned further out the window and shook his fist in the air. "Technology is the devil! It is spawned from the filthy minds of these human cockroaches preying on the Earth! I will be rid of it all, when I become Shaman King! Do you hear me? I AM GOD! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" 

The poor young man and several passerby, not knowing exactly who the angry Chinese boy was aiming his curses toward, hunched their shoulders and hurried to their appointed destinations as fast as their legs would carry them. 

After verbally venting his frustration, Ren leaned back and slammed the window closed, causing the glass to rattle in the frame. He breathed heavily through his nose, like an angered bull ready to charge at the slightest provocation. His sharply pointed cowlick twitched as well, like a living personification of his rage. He turned his eyes toward Bason, who merely hovered in place, staring. His mouth gaped open in utter shock. 

"What are you gawking at?" Ren fixed him with a piercing glare, and yet the look didn't seem to faze his mochirei at all. 

"B-b-bochama…" Bason said with fearful reverence, as if his master had committed some sort of sacrilege. "Miss Jun just bought that rice-streamer last week and you threw it out the window…" 

"What…?" Ren asked slowly, realization beginning to pierce through the red fog of rage surrounding his brain. "What did you say?" 

"You just destroyed Miss Jun's brand new rice-steamer. She will surely kill you now." 

Ren's blank faced betrayed no emotion, save for the fact that his right eye was twitching uncontrollably. 

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" 

Bason quickly fled under the couch as Ren continued to scream. Slowly, the spirit flame peeked his head out to watch as Ren fell to his knees, his anger spent, his stomach continuing to wail for sustenance. He bowed his head in defeat, his hands balled tightly into fists in his lap, tears stinging the back of his eyelids. He couldn't take it anymore. He was going to cry, despite his best efforts to hold back his angry tears. 

"Kisama! Nothing is going right today! Damn technology! Damn mankind! Damn it all! Damn it all to hell! KIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMAAAAAA!!!!!!" 

The boy collapsed face first onto the red carpet, his small body trembling with frustration. He pounded the floor with his fist and began to cry like a little child. He felt sick to his stomach, ashamed at his weakness. His father would surly punish him if he could see him now. 

Bason slowly emerged from under the couch and watched as his master was reduced to that selfsame whimpering child that he had been ordered to protect and serve ten years ago. The spirit flame's heart ached to see his master so distraught, reminded of those times when Ren had been locked in the dungeon for misbehaving, his screams echoing throughout the entire manor. Bason had remained with him for the duration of his punishments during those frequent visits to purgatory. Ren would throw such violent tantrums that he often had to be chained to the wall to prevent his tiger-like fury from getting too out of hand. He would always submit, eventually; weak from hunger and shivering from the cold. The loyal mochirei couldn't bear to see him that way any longer. 

He floated close to his master's side, silent; not knowing what to say. What could words possibly do to comfort his master now? 

"Where are my servants? Where is my nee-san? Where is anybody?" Ren's body shuddered with a wracking sob. "Even the gods have forsaken me…" 

_I wish nee-san was here,_ Ren was reminded painfully of his older sister's smiling face. The thought of her was his only comfort, even during those times he was imprisoned in the Tao Manor's dungeon. _How is it that one day can drag on like an eternity? Will evening never come?_

"It is all right, bocchama…" Bason floated closer to his master's face. 

"Go away, Bason!" He heard his master's muffled voice buried in the carpet. "Don't look at me! I don't want you to see me like this!" 

Bason felt his heart begin to ache once more. He could remember hearing a young Ren speak those same words each time he was tossed into the dungeon and Bason would follow after him. Tao Ren was proud to a fault and refused to allow anyone, save for those rare moments with Bason and Jun, to see him in a moment of weakness. Even after being beaten and tortured, his body a patchwork of bruises and welts, Ren only ever allowed himself to weep in the cold darkness of the dungeon, alone. But he was never truly alone, for Bason was always with him. He remembered watching the tears slowly fall down Ren's bruised cheeks, unable to even wipe them away because his hands were chained above his head. 

_If only I were alive, bocchama,_ Bason thought as he stared at his master's wretched form curled on the floor. _Then I could wipe away your tears. If only I weren't a ghost, I could hold you in my arms and comfort you as your father never would. All I can offer is my presence and my words, if only you would listen! How I envy Amidamaru and Yoh! I do not want to remain only a servant; I want to be your strength, your confidant, your friend… You close your heart to everyone, so you can no longer feel pain, but you can no longer feel joy, either. I can wait, though. What is eternity to a ghost? I will wait, until the day you will finally open your heart to me and let me in._

Bason could take it no longer. He whizzed into the kitchen, desperately wracking his brains for a way to cheer his master up. There just _had_ to be something they missed; something they overlooked. He materialized through the cabinets, his ghostly body shedding enough light for him to see within the musty darkness. He searched, he knew not for what, but he hovered from one musty corner to the next trying to find something that would please his master. 

Finally, upon reaching the furthest corner of the dark maze of cabinets, he found what he was looking for. He floated closer, thinking perhaps it was a trick of the light, but the label on the large can remained unchanged. Shouting with joy, thinking that this forgotten treasure was surely a gift from the gods, Bason materialized through the cabinets and whizzed toward his sobbing master. 

"Bocchama!" The spirit flame could barely contain his excitement. "Look! Come see what I have found." 

"I thought I told you to leave me alone!" Ren hunched up, hiccuping slightly. 

"But bocchama. I have found food. And it's your favorite--" 

"What?" Ren rose slowly to his knees, his cheeks stained with tears. "You found what?" 

"Being a ghost, I cannot bring it to you, so come into the kitchen and see." Bason trembled with joy. His master would be so pleased with him for finding that forgotten can in the back of the pantry. Ren was already looking like his old self again. 

Ren wiped his sleeve across his face and slowly got to his feet, following his mochirei into the kitchen once more. Bason hovered near on of the cabinets, saying, "It's in here! Hurry, I'll show you where it's at." 

"This had better be good," Ren's customary arrogance was already starting to creep back into his voice once more. He opened the cabinet as Bason entered and guided him to the musty old corner at the back of the cabinet. 

"Right here. This can, right over here." Bason's ghostly light illuminated the dark corner as Ren reached in and snatched the can out of the cabinet. Brushing away the thin layer of dust that had accumulated on the green label of the can, Ren's mouth opened wide in awe. Bason smiled to himself as Ren read the label to himself. 

"This can't be… It couldn't… It's…" Ren could barely articulate his thoughts as a small smile played upon his lips. 

"It is!" Bason floated near his master's shoulder, swelling with pride at making his master happy once more. 

"PEACHES!" Ren leaped into the air, holding the can above his head like the Olympic torch. "Sweet, glorious golden fruit of the gods! I'm saved!" 

"That's it, bocchama!" Bason cried with joy as he floated in circles around his master's head. Oh, what joyous times these were, to see Ren finally smile after all the pain and disappointment of the day. 

"Now, how to open it," Ren flipped the can around in his hands, searching for a pull tab or something to use to open it. He frowned a little, not seeing any apparent way to get to the sweet peaches inside. He banged it on the counter a few times and looked it over, as if that might help somehow. 

"No…" Ren's eyes widened a little in fear as he banged the can more furiously. He would _not_ be thwarted again! "No, no, no, no, no! This can't be!" He slammed it down so hard that the Formica countertop actually chipped a little. "Damn you! Why gods? Why do you offer me your glorious fruit only to snatch it from my grasp once again?" 

"Bocchama," Bason gazed into his master's golden eyes, once more on the verge of tears. "You could use that thing to open it." 

"What thing?" Ren frowned once more, furious and starving. 

"You know, _that thing_." He said with emphasis, as if that would help. "Over here." He hovered near a small white kitchen appliance plugged in near the wall. 

"Oh, no you don't!" Ren gritted his teeth and pointed accusingly at his spirit companion. "You're not tricking me into using another one of those electric hell-spawn once more." 

_Actually, you're the one that got the rice-steamer out in the first place,_ Bason thought dejectedly, but he said out loud, "Bocchama, I've watched Miss Jun use this plenty of times. See, she puts the can under this serrated wheel and presses this button over here. It makes this loud whirring sound, and then the can spins around and the lid comes off." 

"Bason, are you making this up?" Ren cocked an eyebrow at him in disbelief. 

"Of course not, bocchama!" The red spirit flame stared teary-eyed at him, hurt that his master would accuse him of lying. "Try it and see!" 

"Very well." Ren heaved a huge sigh and trudged toward the electric can-opener. "It's probably better than trying to smash it open." 

"It will work, I know it will!" 

"We shall see." Ren wedged the edge of the can under the arm and pressed the button. The machine made a loud grinding sound, but nothing happened. The Chinese shaman glared at his mochirei, as if to say, _What did I tell you? I knew this wouldn't work!_

"Um…" Bason glanced nervously from his master's eyes to the can-opener, then back again. "It would give Miss Jun trouble sometimes, too. Just wiggle it around a little until you get it in place." 

Ren struggled with it some more, and each time his efforts proved wasted as the can-opener ground its gears on nothing. His face turning red with fury, the boy finally screamed and hurled the can to the floor. Hunger driving him, he leaped into the air and tried to stomp the insolent can flat, but only succeeded in tripping on it as it slid from under his foot. He fell backwards and banged his head on the edge of the counter before falling to the linoleum and lying very still. 

"Bocchama!" The ghost of the Chinese warlord flew to his master's side, afraid that he might have split his skull open. Luckily, he could see no blood, and in a moment Ren's eyes fluttered opened. He sat up slowly, wincing in pain as he gingerly touched the back of his head. A large goose egg was beginning to form where he had struck the edge of the counter. 

Ren's eyes slowly fell to the can of peaches on the floor, the little cartoon peach on the front of the label smiling at him, as if to mock his futile efforts. 

"That's it! I have had _enough_!" Ren rose to his feet and marched out of the kitchen, muttering curses in Chinese. Bason remained where he was, wondering what his master was up to. He watched as Ren disappeared down the darkened hall and slammed the door to his room closed. Perhaps he was going to lie down and take a nap. He would feel much better after that, Bason mused to himself. 

Suddenly, the door flew open once more and Bason squeaked in fear as his master stood framed in the doorway, his eyes glittering dangerously in the darkness, like a ferocious tiger stalking in the jungle. In his hands, he held the red shaft of his kwan dao, the steel blade glittering as dangerously as the boy's feral eyes. 

"B-b-bocchama?" Bason asked the tiger-like child standing in the doorway. 

A furious roar escaped Ren's lips as he charged forward, his kwan dao lowered before him like the horn on a charging rhino. He dashed down the hall, golden eyes filled with bloodlust, screaming with insanity. As he entered the living room, he leaped into the air, the bladed weapon flashing over his head. With a shout of "KISAMA!" he brought the kwan dao on top of the helpless can of peaches. Like a tiger pouncing upon its quarry and sinking its claws into the throat of its prey, Ren descended on the can of peaches, the can exploding as peach juice drenched the young shaman like blood spray. Bason had never seen such bloodlust, except during those times of war as soldiers, bereft of everything, charged blindly into battle, seeking the blood of their enemies. 

"Your sweet peachy goodness is mine! ALL MINE!" Ren laughed hysterically, his hair, face and shirt covered in sticky peach juice. Dropping his kwan dao, he descended upon the remains of his victim and began devouring the bits of peaches left in the two halves of the can and scattered on the floor. 

Bason blinked several times, not quite believing what had happened. The ravenous Ren continued to devour the peaches, unaware of the foot long gash left in the linoleum by his kwan dao. Bason decided not to mention it to him. Jun would probably be angry with her younger brother, but they had plenty of money to replace the rice-steamer and repair the kitchen floor. 

The Chinese warlord heaved a sigh, then smiled to himself as he watched his bocchama lick peach juice from his fingertips. He was reminded of the time when Ren had tried peaches for the very first time. He remembered young Ren seated in his highchair while his mother pleaded for him to each some chopped-up peaches. Every time she brought the spoon near his face, he squirmed away, stubborn as always, even at that tender age. Finally, she managed to force some into his mouth, and his eyes lit up immediately. Ren had stuck his chubby hands into his bowl and tried to feed himself, splattering peach pulp and juice everywhere, laughing as he licked it off his fingers. 

"What are you smiling at?" Ren frowned slightly, startling Bason out of his reverie. 

"Oh, nothing, bocchama." The red spirit flame hovered closer to his master. "But look at you. You're positively drenched in peach juice! Perhaps you should go shower, now." 

Ren pulled his shirt away from his chest, surprised at how messy his exploits had gotten him. 

"Good idea." The Chinese shaman got to his feet and headed toward the bathroom. "A hot shower and a short nap, and I'll be as right as rain." 

"Thank goodness," Bason heaved a huge sigh of relief. "I really must remind Miss Jun to leave plenty of peaches the next time she decides to step out for a bit." 

It was only a short distance from the carnival to the large park, and Jun and Pailong meandered aimlessly down the paths beneath the many shade trees, their leaves painted red, orange, and gold by autumn's touch. Eventually, they found a park bench underneath a large water oak where they could sit down and rest for a bit. Actually, Pailong wasn't tired in the least, but he could tell that his mistress was weary from walking for so long in those high heels. Pailong could never understand how women managed to walk for miles on end in such uncomfortable footwear, but he had long since given up on finding the answer. 

Jun heaved a sigh of relief and removed her shoes, stretching her legs and toes in front of her as she leaned back in her seat. 

"Ah! That's feels _so _much better." She turned her gaze toward the noonday sun partly hidden behind some puffy white clouds. "I can't believe how much stuff we've done already!" 

"And we still have the rest of the day, and the evening to look forward to," Pailong stretched his arms across the back of the bench and leaned his head back, his sunglasses sitting atop his head. 

"Wonder what else we'll get to do today?" Jun turned her head toward her mochirei. 

"Who knows?" He shrugged his huge shoulders. He sniffed at the air slightly. "What's that smell?" 

"What?" Jun looked around. 

"Smells like peaches," he turned his gaze toward her and took a deep whiff. "It's coming from you." 

"Oh! It must be my shampoo," Jun brushed back a strand of hair that had escaped from behind her ear. "It's called 'peaches and cream'. Ren likes it a lot, so I use it all the time." 

"Why?" Pailong's expression was vacant. 

"It's his favorite flavor," Jun smiled, abashed by her remark. "Ever since he was a little boy, Ren has always liked peaches. The smell is very comforting to him. Whenever he was scared or upset, I'd give him some peaches to eat, and he'd calm down. Sometimes, I give him some of my peach bath salts for him to use before bed, and he'd sleep like a baby. So, I've always washed my hair with peaches and cream because he likes it." 

Pailong couldn't help but laugh a little. Perhaps he had finally stumbled upon the secret of why Ren was always so calm and caring toward his sister. 

"Do you think if I smelled like peaches, Ren would learn to like me, too?" Pailong pointed to himself and grinned like a fool. 

"What do you mean by that?" Jun looked at him in concern. 

The kyonshii's grin quickly faded. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed?" He stared at his boots. "Haven't you seen the way Ren looks at me with such loathing in his eyes. He absolutely appalls me because I have gained freewill." 

"Don't be silly, Pailong," Jun leaned over to touch his shoulder. "Ren doesn't hate you." 

"You think so?" He raised one eyebrow slightly. 

"He just needs some time, that's all." Jun smiled reassuringly. "Once he gets used to the idea, he'll learn to accept you." 

"When hell freezes over," Pailong said under his breath. "He can't even learn to treat his own mochirei with respect." 

"Look at me." Jun placed her hand on his cheek and turned his face toward her own. Her sapphire eyes seemed as deep as wells as she gazed into her kyonshii's ebony eyes. "Once upon a time, I thought you nothing more than a mindless puppet; a corpse with no past and no voice; a doll with no feelings. Just a toy with a name. Now look at us. I came to the realization that it was all a lie. You are a part of my family now, as dear to me as Ren and Bason are." 

"Miss Jun…" Pailong breathed, taken aback by her gentle voice. _Does she really think of me that way? I had always believed that she still regarded me as a servant and nothing more, but family? Is it really too much to hope for…?_ He shook his head to banish the thought, lest his voicing it prevent his deepest wish from being realized. She _did_ have feelings for him, in a way. Perhaps, maybe, there was still a chance… No! It was impossible. She was a beautiful dao-shi and him nothing but a frozen corpse. They came from tow totally different worlds. There could never be anything between them. 

Jun gently leaned her head against his chest. The noonday sun had warmed his normally cold flesh, giving him some semblance of life. But his heart remained silent beneath her ear, and his chest no longer rose with breath, except when he was speaking. But still, it was enough just to feel the warmth of his body beneath her cheek. She closed her eyes and dozed off. 

Pailong stared down at the angel resting her head on his chest and dared not breath, lest he should awaken her. He gently wrapped one arm around her waist and brushed a strand of hair from her face before closing his eyes and dozing off under the shade of the oak tree. He could think of nowhere else he'd rather be. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

Aw! Now it's starting to get fluffy. I've been writing so many details in regards to Jun's and Ren's past that I might not wait until I finish this fic to start writing "The Pride and Honor of the Tao Dynasty" (tentative title, see my profile page more details on my future projects). Coming up next, Tao Ren goes commando as he tries to infiltrate the neighbor's garden and filch a few peaches (he's giving up in the kitchen… for now!) And Pailong and Jun head by the arcade for some good-old seventies video game nostalgia, but some punk-ass kids try to spoil their fun. Whose up for a "Dance Dance Revolution Showdown"? Rating _will_ definitely change to PG-13, just to be safe.


	7. Requiem for the White Dragon

Wow! I've reached the big three-oh in reviews! That's Pailong's age! Don't cry, Pailong, it's really not that old, and you look so good for your age, too! Anyway, I really enjoyed writing the part about the electric can-opener, seeing as how I can never get the damn things to work for me, either. Technology hates me. And I always wanted to see Ren use his kwan dao in more constructive ways. I loved the last title, too. So perfect for fluffiness. Anyway, sorry I lied last time. The arcade action will be appearing next chapter, and Ren won't be appearing until the end of this chapter. The boy really needs his beauty sleep now Eh, Ren Why are you glaring at me like that? Um Anyway, on with Chapter Seven, before Ren tries to kill me 

**Chapter Seven: Requiem for the White Dragon**

Pailong was vaguely aware of voices while he dozed off with Jun; people talking to one another while they jogged, and birds twittering in the trees overhead, the occasional bark of a dog, the laughter of small children. He smiled comfortably and turned his head closer to Jun, unperturbed by their chatter. Using well practiced mediation techniques, Pailong slowly tuned out the rest of the world once more, content to be by his mistress's side until she awaked. 

Suddenly, Pailong found himself awoken by a bright flash of light. He started forward, the sudden movement nearly causing Jun to slide off the bench along with him, but his quick reflexes prevented such a disaster from occurring. He held her gently in his arms, blinking as spots burst before his eyes. Jun rubbed at her eyes sleepily, but quickly popped awake upon seeing a girl, possibly only a year or two older than herself, standing before them. 

The girl held a large professional photographer's camera in her delicate hands. She appeared foreign; her hair was blonde and her eyes green. Her hair was tied back with a blue headband and she wore a bright red sweater. 

"I'm sorry," the girl said in English and bowed low, her long blonde hair trailing into her eyes. "I didn't mean to wake you up." 

"What?" Jun blinked several times, still groggy, not understanding what the girl was saying. "What did you say?" 

"Oh, forgive me! I slipped back into English for a moment." She spoke in Japanese, her green eyes sparkling in the afternoon light. "I said I was sorry for waking you up." 

"That's all right," Jun smiled and reached for her abandoned shoes. She slipped them on. "Don't worry about waking us up. We were going to leave, anyway." 

"What were you doing?" Pailong asked, rubbing at his eyes. He was still seeing spots after the bright flash of light had awoken him. 

She bowed once more. "Forgive me, but we haven't been properly introduced. My name's Maria. I'm from America." 

"My name is Tao Jun." She rose to her feet and bowed. "My friend and I are here on vacation. We're from China." 

"Ah!" Maria smiled knowingly. "I thought your accent sounded a little different." 

"What brings you to Japan?" Pailong asked. 

Maria stared at her hands as she adjusted her camera. "I'm studying abroad in Japan as part of a four week tour of famous Asian architecture and sculptures. I'm taking pictures for my photography class, and since today's my last day in Japan before we move on, I have to make it worthwhile. So I just couldn't resist getting a snapshot you two sleeping on the park bench." 

"Really?" Jun smiled and began brushing her hair with her fingers self-consciously. 

Maria giggled. "You two looked so cute together. I think I'll call it 'Prelude to Winter's Slumber'." She stared at Pailong for a moment, a look of consternation marring her lovely features. "Have we met before?" 

"Huh?" The martial artist cocked his head to one side in confusion. "I don't think so." 

"That's odd." She poked her lower lip out slightly as she leaned closer to get a better look at him. Pailong took a step back unconsciously, feeling suddenly nervous. "I just _know_ I've seen your face somewhere before." 

"Really? That's pretty funny, eh?" If he had been able to perspire, Pailong would be sweating bullets. Did the girl recognize him? 

"Ah! This is really frustrating!" Maria squinted in annoyance. "As a photographer, I'm really very good at identifying faces, but I just hate it when a name escapes me." 

"I'm telling you, we're complete strangers," Pailong tried his best to veer the topic of discussion in some other direction, but the American girl was adamant. 

"I've got it!" She snapped her fingers in triumph. "How could I have been so stupid? I was probably goggling at that movie poster for an hour." She turned her green eyes upon him, "You look just like Brock Lee." The former movie star gasped slightly. 

"Who?" Jun tilted her head to one side in confusion. "I've never heard of him." 

"Oh, wait! I forgot. He went by his real name in China. You probably know him as Li Pailong, the White Dragon." 

Now it was Jun's turn to gasp. She quickly glanced at her nervous mochirei, who could only shrug his huge shoulders. It had been a few weeks since the film festival came to town, so why was it still around? Were Pailong's movies really that popular, even in this day and age? 

"Ah! You must be mistaken." He laughed nervously as Jun glanced at him with apprehension in her eyes. "My name's Bruce Uh" 

"Chan!" Jun quickly interjected. 

"Bruce Chan!" Pailong smiled confidently. "I get that a lot from people." 

"I know you're not _really_ Brock Lee." Maria frowned a little, almost disappointed. "Brock Lee died a long time ago." 

Both Jun and Pailong heaved a huge mental sigh of relief. This girl only believed him to be some kind of Pailong look-alike, not the real Pailong himself. Keeping up their ruse had just become a lot easier. 

"Do you get mistaken for Brock Lee a lot?" Maria asked. 

"Oh, lots of times! I swear, sometimes I think it's a curse. I'll be standing in line at the grocery store, and people will start lining up for my autograph. It's quite embarrassing." 

"I see." Maria frowned slightly. "Must be tough." 

"Well, that's the way life goes." The old movie star smiled to himself, glad to accept his new role. He chuckled at the irony of it all. He, Li Pailong, pretending to be a man that looked like Li Pailong. 

"So you do know about him?" 

"Of course! I used to watch all of his movies as a kid. My friends and I would pitch in all of our allowances to buy tickets, then after the movie was over, we'd act out our favorite scenes together." 

"Do you" She turned her attention to her camera as she fiddled with it, blushing slightly. "Do you think you could do a few of his poses for me?" 

"Why not?" Pailong agreed wholeheartedly, feeling his pride begin to swell at being the center of attention once more. It was something he missed a lot, as a former movie star. 

"Really? You will?" The girl's eyes widened in shock, as if she expected her modest request to be denied. "Oh thank you so much, Mr. Chan! My friends will be so jealous when they get a load of these photos. Of course," she added quickly, blushing once more, "I'll be sure to send you both copies, if that's all right?" 

"We'd love to have them," Jun smiled. She watched as Maria directed Pailong with the quick professional grace afforded to practiced photographers. She smiled at seeing the huge grin on Pailong's face as he performed simple kicks and punches, and posed for her like a strutting peacock. He even performed a spinning kick, accompanied by his trademarked cry of "wachohhh!" as Maria squealed with delight at his antics. She knew he missed the spotlight, and he was enjoying the feeling of adoration once more. 

"Hey, Miss Jun!" Maria waved her over. "Would you mind getting a shot of me and Mr. Chan together?" 

"Oh!" She was startled out of her pensive state. "All right, then. Um, how do you work this?" 

"I already have it adjusted," she handed the large camera to Jun, "just wait for my signal, then press that button here, okay?" 

"All right," Jun raised it to her eye as the American girl took her place by Pailong's side. They both smiled as Maria waved her hand slightly. 

"Say cheeseburgers," Maria said and Pailong chuckled. 

"Cheeseburgers!" They said in unison as Jun pressed the shutter button and the flash went off. 

"Great!" Maria trotted forward and took her camera. "Now, a shot of you two together." 

"What?" Tao Jun looked surprised. Having her picture taken while she was off-guard and vulnerable was one thing, but to actually stand up and pose for one was another story. She began smoothing out the wrinkles in her dress self-consciously. "I don't know I'm a bit camera shy If you know what I mean." 

"Why's that, Miss Jun?" Pailong stared at her with warm concern in his ebony eyes. 

"I don't know. I just feel silly, that's all." 

"You shouldn't say that," Maria piped in. "You look very pretty. You're what we photographers like to call, 'born for the camera'." 

Jun blushed slightly at that remark, but Pailong only smiled all the more. "Please, Miss Jun? Just one? For me?" 

The dao-shi stared into her loyal mochirei's huge puppy-eyes. Damn it! How could he exert such influence over her? _She_ was supposed to be the one that could manipulate him, not the other way around. She shook her head, smiled as she sighed in defeat. 

"All right, just _one_ photograph." She held up a finger for emphasis, and Pailong shouted with joy. Maria took her hand and began to carefully arrange them for the shot, with Jun standing just a little in front of him. She began to adjust her camera, getting the shot in focus, making sure there wasn't too much glare. Jun looked up for a moment and noticed the warm smile on Pailong's face, not for the sake of the photo, but directed toward her. 

"All right, everyone say cheeseburgers!" Maria's face was obstructed by the camera. 

Before Jun could react, Pailong grinned devilishly and quickly swept her up into his huge arms, bringing their faces close together. Out of instinct, Jun wrapped her arms around his neck and kicked her legs up, one of her shoes dangling from her toes. Her hat fell to the ground, revealing her dazzling windswept hair. Before she could protest, the flash went off, and the moment had been immortalized. 

"Perfect!" Maria's face was split into a huge grin. "That was a Kodak moment if I ever saw one! So much life and spontaneity. I couldn't have done it better myself." 

"Pai-- I mean, Bruce! That was uncalled for!" Jun stared into his eyes in annoyance, but the look quickly vanished at seeing his playful grin. She blushed slightly, her fingers twisting in his silky hair, feeling the coiled muscles of his arms supporting her back and under her knees. It was amazing how those same arms, which could easily shatter a block of stone, could be so gentle. 

"Um" She glanced toward the ground a few feet below her. "You can put me down now." 

"Oh!" Pailong blushed, then carefully set her on her feet. "I'm sorry, Miss Jun. You're so light, that I hardly noticed." 

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Jun quoted the age-old adage while bending over to adjust her shoes. 

"These pictures will take at least a week to develop," Maria hung the camera around her neck once more. "I'll send them to you as soon as they're ready." 

"I think I like the last one the best," Pailong grinned as a sudden gust of wind caused their clothing and hair to flutter wildly. The large sun hat, with the orchid tucked in the brim, began to skitter away. 

"Oh no! My hat!" Jun dashed after it, Pailong and Maria hot on her heels. The capricious wind lifted it into the air, keeping it just out of reach of her fingertips. 

"I'll get it," Pailong leaped forward, his long arms grasping for it. His fingers just barely touched the brim before another gust jerked it just beyond his reach once more. 

They ran past joggers and people walking their dogs in hot pursuit of the wayward hat. Jun managed to take the lead once more as her favorite hat drifted on the wind closer and closer toward a small river that flowed through the park. Her feet clattered on the wooden planks of the arched bridge as her hat sailed over the edge. Lunging forward, she almost caught the brim, but lost her balance as she began to teeter over the guardrail. Her eyes widened as she stared at the river below. 

Before she could fall forward into the chilling waters, a strong pair of arms wrapped around her waist and drew her away from disaster. She didn't need to look behind her to know who had rescued her. 

"Are you all right, Miss Jun?" Pailong's deep voice rumbled near her ear. 

"I'm fine," she sighed in dejection, watching her hat drift down toward the river and settle upon the water's surface. 

Maria finally caught up to them. Leaning over the guardrail, she panted heavily, noticing the hat floating downstream, before saying, "Oh, no. You're poor hat." 

"It's all right," Jun forced a sad smile. "It was my favorite, but I'm sure I can buy another." 

They stared after it for a moment as it slowly drifted away. Out of habit, Maria placed the camera to her eye and snapped a photo of the hat as the orchid dipped into the tranquil surface of the water. 

"I think I'll call it, 'Drifting'," Maria said with a note of solemnity in her voice. "It's rather poetic, don't you think? Seeing your hat floating down the river, all alone, reminds you of the transient nature of all living things. True beauty is ephemeral by nature because of the very fact that it only lasts a short time." She looked to see the Chinese couple staring intently into the water, the man's arms wrapped around the woman's waist. It would make such a perfect photo, but she felt that the moment was too sacred to be disturbed. After all, a truly beautiful moment can never be immortalized. 

"I'm sorry," she bowed slightly to them as they finally became aware of her presence. "I'm babbling on about silly things while your hat drifts away." 

"No," Jun shook her head and smiled. "I think you're right. True beauty is, by nature, ephemeral. I'm sad that I lost my hat, but at least something artistic came from its passing. I'd like that photo, too, if you don't mind." 

"Of course!" Maria nodded quickly. "Anything for you." 

"I think you really have an eye for composition and talent with words," Pailong said, in awe of her poeticism. "You should write poetry to accompany your photos." 

"Well," Maria's faced turned a deep shade of red as she stared at her feet. "My dream is to make a photo journal of all my travels around the world, and to write my thoughts and feelings about each photo, and all the experiences I've had while taking them. Being able to share the beauty of both man and nature with others, it would be pretty profound, you know? To show them things that they've always seen, but never thought to look at, or showing them ordinary things in a new perspective. That's what I'd like to do." 

"You should," Pailong said earnestly, patting her on the shoulder. "Just follow your dreams, and with hard work and perseverance, you can make them come true." 

"You really think so?" Maria blinked in astonishment. 

"I'll definitely buy a copy of your book," Jun smiled. "When you publish it, that is." 

"That's very kind of you," Maria bowed to them both. "Thank you very much." 

"Well, we'd better be going now," Jun gripped her purse tightly in both hands. "I'm quite hungry and could use a bite to eat." 

"I know a good place to go!" Maria clapped her hands together in excitement. "I'm heading toward the theater where they're showing the Brock Lee Film Festival, and there are plenty of restaurants nearby to choose from. I'll show you some good ones." 

"We'd like that very much," Jun bowed her thanks to the girl. 

"No problem. It's the least I can do, after losing your hat and all." 

She trotted off and the Chinese couple followed close behind her. They soon left the park behind and emerged into the city once more, though not so crowded as it was earlier that day. Jun glanced from one window to the next, practically drooling while Maria babbled on about the pros and cons of each restaurant. Pailong listened idly, unable to have much of an opinion on the topic at hand, since he could no longer eat food. 

Soon, they reached the theater where several people were already lining up to get tickets. It was a back-to-back feature of two of his best movies, "Fists of Rage," and "To Play with Death." He leaned against the brick wall of the theater while Jun and Maria continued to chatter. He folded his arms over his chest and bowed his head slightly. There were many fond memories accompanying each movie he made, some bad, but mostly good. He wondered how his former costars were doing. Were they still making movies? Did any of them hit it big? How were their families? Were they still even living in California, his former home? 

He was startled out of his reverie by a bright flash of light and looked up to see Maria with her camera at her face. She quickly lowered it and gave him a sad smile. 

"I call it, 'Requiem for the White Dragon'," she said, pointing behind him. He turned and noticed a full-length poster with Li Pailong on it in profile, raising his fist before his face. "You had such a solemn look on your face, as if you were mourning. It seemed so poetic, to have a picture of Brock Lee standing before his own poster, mourning his own death." 

Pailong smiled at the poetic irony of it all. "I guess you're right." 

"It's amazing," she sighed while staring at the poster. "Did you know that over twenty-five thousand people attended his funeral in Hong Kong?" 

The former movie star gasped out loud. This was news to him! The reason he had moved back to Hong Kong was because many of the American film producers were intimidated by showing films with an Oriental playing an Oriental. It was no surprise; the memory of World War II still fresh in the American peoples' minds and with the Vietnam War looming on the horizon, everyone was jittery. But still, it was no excuse to persecute someone, based on their skin color, or the shape of their eyes, and Pailong was no stranger to discrimination. He knew people more readily accepted him in the country of his birth; he just had no idea how many people had come to love his films, and still love them today. 

"Really? That many?" He asked, still dumbfounded. 

"Yeah. His films were an inspiration to both Americans and Chinese alike. No matter what, he never compromised his beliefs and his pride in being Chinese, despite the adversity he faced in America. But perhaps it was because of that, his being able to remain strong despite adversity, was what appealed to the American audiences. He certainly inspired me." 

"If only he were alive to see how much good his films have done," Jun said while casting a sly wink in Pailong's direction. 

"I know." Maria sighed. "My little brother would have loved to meet him. He's been begging me to send him the movies. He's taking tae kwon do and karate, but he wants to move on to more advance forms of martial arts. He wants to become a great martial arts master, and create his own style, just like his hero." She chuckled a little. "He keeps telling me that he'd _like_ to, but he can't because he thinks only Chinese can create new martial arts." 

"That's not true at all." Pailong strode toward the American girl and looked her straight in the eye. "You tell your brother that he can do anything he puts his mind to. Li Pailong created his own style of kung-fu, Dao Dan Do, by taking many styles and choosing the best moves from all of them. And many martial arts styles weren't even invented by the Chinese! I'd like too see what sort of unique style an American would come up with." 

"You're right. I'll be sure to tell him that." Maria's gaze traveled to the movie poster once more. "I may not have been able to meet the _real_ Brock Lee, but talking to you, I feel like I've met him in spirit, at least." 

"I'm honored you think that," Pailong scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "He cared about his fans deeply, and I'm sure he would have loved to meet you." 

"Well, I hope you find a good place to eat. I have to buy my tickets now." 

"Thank you for helping us, and for taking such wonderful pictures," Jun waved to her. 

"No sweat! It was great meeting you guys. Bye!" Maria waved to them as she trotted away. 

"My, Americans sure are an interesting lot," Jun touched her chin in thought. 

"She was nice." Pailong smiled after the girl. "Too bad she'll never know that she really _did_ meet Li Pailong." 

"Well, come on! I'm going to faint from hunger if we don't get something to eat soon!" Jun tugged on his arm and began leading him down the sidewalk once more. "Then you'll have to carry me everywhere." 

"I wouldn't mind that at all," he grinned. "You're as light as a feather." 

"Well, I would!" She flipped a strand of hair over her shoulder. "If you carry me around, I won't get to have any fun." 

Jun glanced from one window to the next, muttering to herself about which cuisine would appeal to her palate best. Pailong listened idly, sighing with a note of impatience. He wished she would just make up her mind, so that they could move on to more interesting activities. Besides, there would be nothing for him to do, since he would not be able to eat with her. 

As they walked along, they passed by a large arcade where the sounds of tinny game music was punctuated by laughter and cries of triumph and defeat. Pailong stood in front of the opened doorway and gaped at the sheer number of lights and noise emanating from the arcade. His death had taken place on the cusp of the great video game revolution, and the only game he had the chance to play was "Space Invaders", but he was instantly hooked by its simplistic goal, yet frustrating challenge to attain it. 

Noticing that her mochirei was no longer by her side, Jun sighed and backtracked until she found him once more. His mouth was gaping opened, as if he were trying to catch flies. 

"Pailong, what are you--" Jun turned to look at what had so entranced her loyal mochirei and felt her own mouth gape open. The carnival was tame compared to this place. There was constant movement and noise, but it was different from the carnival's pulse of people moving about and playing. There seemed to be some sort of rhythm that only the gamers seemed to be able to feel, an electronic strobe of blinking colors and the steady beat of techno music. Children and young adults gathered in groups around their friends, egging them on as they stared into large boxes with screens embedded within, seemingly hypnotized by the flashing lights and repetitive electronic music. Jun felt herself zoning out as she watched them. 

"Let's go in here!" Pailong shook her shoulder, awakening her from her technologically induced trance. "It's been twenty years since I've been to an arcade. I can't believe how much games have changed in such a short period of time." 

"Um Maybe later," Jun backed up, intimidated by the unfamiliar noises and garish lights. "Besides, I still need to eat." 

"They have food in here, too." 

"What kind of food?" Jun gazed in disbelief into the arcade as the pounding music beat against her eardrums. 

"Good food," he added for emphasis. "Hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos dripping with gooey cheese" He closed his eyes and sighed. "What I wouldn't give to be able to bite into a nice juicy cheeseburger one more time." 

"I don't know what any of that is." Jun blinked in confusion. "I'd rather eat something I'm familiar with. Let's run down to that Chinese restaurant down the street and come back when we're done." 

Pailong stuck out his bottom lip in a slightly pouting expression. "But Miss Jun, I'll be so bored sitting around, waiting while you eat. If we come here, I'll be able to play a couple games while you eat, and it will save us a trip walking back." 

"But I don't like that kind of food--" Jun was cut off by a sly grin from Pailong. 

"Have you ever tried it?" 

"Well, no" She was taken slightly aback. "I've never eaten anything but Chinese food." 

"Then who's to say you won't like it? You'll never know until you try. Don't you want to expand your culinary experiences?" 

"I guess so, but--" 

"Come on! This stuff is the best! I can't remember a summer going by without grilling up a ton of hamburgers and hot dogs in the backyard. If you don't like it, then we'll go to the Chinese restaurant. Deal?" 

"All right," the green haired girl sighed in defeat. "But this had better be worth my time." 

"Don't worry, Miss Jun. You won't regret it." 

"That's what you said about the roller coaster," Jun muttered under her breath, but Pailong couldn't hear her over the constant bleeps and tinny music emanating from the arcade. She'd keep an open mind, for his sake. This could turn out to be enjoyable. Everything else Pailong had suggested had been. 

Back at the burned-out Chinese restaurant, Ren laid curled up in his bed, his belly full and his body refreshed after a hot shower. Bason remained in the living room, idly reading a magazine that had been left on the coffee table. It was frustrating, not being able to turn the pages, since he was a ghost and had no physical body, but these moments of quiet solitude were few and far between, and Bason was determined to make the most of it. 

After reaching the end of the page, Bason decided to go check on his master. The red spirit flame floated down the hall and approached the door to Ren's room, left slightly ajar. Bason peered into the darkened room, the sunlight streaming through the blinds and falling in bars across the bed. It must be around three o'clock, he presumed by the position of the sun. The ghost floated inside, careful not to disturb the sleeping boy. 

Ren lay curled on his side, hugging one of the red pillows against his chest. It seemed that Ren was at peace only when he was asleep, and Bason pitied him for that. Ren's mouth hung opened slightly, a trickle of drool leaking out. His face was soft and smoothed, no longer marred by the lines of arrogance and anger that he often wore during the day. His toes twitched slightly, and he mumbled something in his sleep. 

"Mmmm Nee-san When are you coming home?" Ren said softly, as innocent and imploring as a child. Bason knew his master was much too young to be saddled with such a heavy burden, and yet he shouldered his responsibility without complaint. Ren was forced to become an adult long before his time, never given the luxury of experiencing a happy childhood. 

_How I wish I could turn back time,_ Bason thought as he continued to gaze at the slumbering child. _You have experienced so much pain and anguish. I wish that you could start over, and reclaim the childhood that you deserved to have. If only you could let go of your anger, then I'm sure you would be at peace, even when you are awake._

The spirit flame took on his true form as the black-armored warlord, intimidating in all respects but for his red eyes, which glowed with a warmth that no words could describe. Gently, he reached forward a brushed a stray lock of hair from his master's face with a huge finger. Ren twitched slightly, feeling only a slightly warm breeze tickle his face. 

Bason sighed and resumed his spirit flame form once more. Such torture, to care so deeply for another, and yet never being able to touch. Though Ren was a shaman and could interact with spirits, it wasn't the same. Bason still remained incorporeal, and he could never truly comfort his master the way he always wanted to, but it was enough, being here by his side and watching him sleep in peace. 

The spirit flame floated toward the memorial tablet sitting on the bedside table and entered it, feeling content as the sun had warmed the cold stone of his place of refuge. He closed his eyes and fell asleep, keeping silent vigil over his master's slumbering form. 

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Damn! I had a bad case of writer's block with this chapter. Glad that's over with. I know what your thinking, and no, Bason is not gay. I think that Bason is the closest thing to a caring father figure that Ren has ever had. And I think Ren really does care about his mochirei, though he'd never admit it to anyone, least of all Bason. Oh yeah, Pailong's American name, Brock Lee, is in tribute to Naruto's Rock Lee. I thought that's what my friend was calling him, and I was like, "Oh, I get it! He wears green, so he's named after broccoli." My friend was like, "Uh No, his name is ROCK Lee." Me, "Oh Sorry" So, I that's why I called him that. Plus, it starts with the letter 'B' just like Bruce Lee. Coming up next, some action goes down at the arcade, and Ren wakes up feeling hungry again. Next chapter is called "Viva la Dance Dance Revolution!" Get down with it, baby! 


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